Harmon Grennan: Ace Attorney
by Temsik
Summary: Welcome to a new time for the Law. Since the UR1 incident came to it's new resolution, the Dark Age of the law is coming to a rapid end. But with it, more crimes are starting to come to light. The one to find the truth of these Crimes? Harmon Grennan, Attorney At Law. Can Harmon solve the case and bring justice to those who've lost it?
1. Harmon Grennan

Welcome to a new time for the Law. Since the UR1 incident came to it's new resolution, the Dark Age of the law is coming to a rapid end. But with it, more crimes are starting to come to light. The one to find the truth of these Crimes? Harmon Grennan, a new defense attorney whose impulsiveness burns brighter than his hair. He also has a special skill that he uses to help him come closer to the truth. What will that be? Well... we're leaving that for you fair reader to learn.

So time to step into a new age of the law with Tesain Law Offices.

Turnabout Hunt: Completed

The Experimental Turnabout: First Trial Finished


	2. Turnabout Hunt: Prologue

Turnabout Hunt

The forest whooshed past as the bird began to fall to the ground.

Chip Alson struggled to stand as he felt the life draining from him. His hand was to his arm, and he could barely move. The dark figure of a man towered over him, ready to finish the job.

The flapping of the birds wing came to an abrupt halt as it crashed into the underbrush below.

"No… please…. please…" Chip said with a wide eye as the gun was levelled to his chest.

Twitching, the little bird took it's last breath as it looked up at the figure staring down at it in fear.

The same figure that stood over Chip Alson, finger on the trigger.

_*BANG*_

The trees above came alive with the flapping of birds, fleeing from the sound, or maybe the horrible crime they had just witnessed.


	3. Turnabout Hunt: Trial Former

March 12, 9:24 AM

District Court

Defendant Lobby #3

Always pacing. That's how Harmon Grennan took care of stress. Pacing around the defendants lobby and reading case notes. Well, reading case notes and sipping on a cup of water from the water bubbler nearby. He always had a can of soda before a trial to give him a little boost. Coffee was never really his thing. But unfortunately, he had forgotten his beloved can on his kitchen counter as he rushed out the door to make it to the trial. At least the traffic had been easy. He had arrived with a few minutes to spare, and was using this time to do all the prep he could.

Pace

Read

*sip*

Pace

Read

*sip*

Pace

Read

"Grennan!"

"Agh!" Grennan yelled. Erm, spat.

"Careful there Grennan. You almost ruined my new silk tie." A voice said. Harmon immediately knew it. He would recognize that deep Baritone anywhere. He spun around to see his boss: Walter Tesain, Head of Tesain Law Offices.

"Ah! Mr. Tesain! Sorry. I'm reading the case materials one last time before the case. Something really does seem of about it. But I don't have the evidence to pin it down just yet!" He said, running a hand through his neatly combed copper hair.

"Eh, don't worry about it Kid." Tesain laughed out. He was a thickly built man, with what Harmon could only describe as "The Year Round Suntan". In addition, he had a muscle tone that made women faint at the very sight of it. Or so Harmon had been told. Truth in the legal profession can sometimes be stranger than fiction I guess.

"Uhm. Excuse me? Mr. Grennan?" another voice sounded. This one had a slight tone of timidity behind it.

"Oh! Hey!" Harmon said before turning to the man behind him that was being lead in by two officers. "Connor!" Harmon said. "How are you?"

Connor Dore, a friend of Grennan's through his college years, was now on trial for murder. He had recently made friends with another camper named Chip Alson on one of his camping trips. They would shoot the breeze every once in a while when they ran into each other on the trail. But two days before, Chip was found murdered. Connor was arrested not long after.

"Well. I've been better. But I'd be lying if I said that the prison food was worse than camp food." He said looking down dejectedly.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure that you come out of this alright." Harmon said looking his friend dead in the eye.

"I hope so. Sorry to make your first case so high stakes." Connor said before the two officers began to lead him to the courtroom. As soon as they did,the bailiff at the door turned to Grennan and Tessain before instructing them to enter the courtroom, as the trial was set to begin in a moment.

March 12, 9:30 AM

District Court

Courtroom #5

As they walked through the door into the light of the courtroom, Harmon took in all the familiar sights. The gallery talking about whatever menial things they had going on in their lives before they had to switch to silence and witness a man on trial for his life. Harmon took his place behind the defense bench. Tesain was there as well, but in an assistants capacity. While he had promised to let Harmon take this case, he also said he would help in a pinch.

Before he knew it, the judges gavel had slapped down onto his bench, and the court fell silent. All eyes were on the elderly man with his large grey beard, and hairless head.

"Court is now in session for the trial of Connor Dore" He said in his official tone.

Harmon felt the butterflies in his stomach turn into wasps as he snapped into it before blurting out "Thedefenseisreadyyourhonor!". To this, Tesain gave Harmon a look that only could sum up into the phrase. 'Nice first impression.'

Of course, Harmon wasn't looking, because he was distracted by the woman across the courtroom. She was an aging woman, probably 20 some years older than Mr. Tesain. He had never met her before. She had a sort of salt and pepper color to her hair, and it was put up in a way that combined with everything else would have made her incredibly intimidating. If only those glasses she wore didn't make her look completely ridiculous.

"The Prosecution is also ready your honor." She said adjusting her glasses.

The judge looked back over to the defense. "Very well. I understand it is your first trial Mr. Grennan. Not only that, but a murder no less!" He said. He would have noted that it was rather uncommon, but recalling recent experience, thought better on it. "It's always nice to see such fresh blood interested in upholding the law." He continued with closed eyes.

"Uh... yes your honor..." Grennan said, before remembering that this judge had never presided over a trial he had been involved in.

"Anyhow, would the prosecution please give it's opening statement?" The judge asked looking to face the prosecution, whom simply gave a light "Hmph".

"I'm not sure I am your honor. I'm not yet convinced of the defenses ability to make his case. I propose a short test now to ensure he doesn't waste the courts time later."

"Ouch" Tesain said looking to Harmon. "But then again, that's Blanch Enfier for you."

"Hm. I believe a test may be in order. I hope you've studied your case materials well." The judge said lightly tapping his gavel in his hand. Tesain immediately turned to Harmon.

"Alright sparkplug, this is it. The first official test of your legal prowess. Remember to use the court record." He explained matter of-factly. Harmon looked down at the papers in front of him.

"Right! The court record... I just... uh... look over the court record when I want to look over any evidence I've collected right?" He said slightly shaking in his voice.

"Yeah. You should have this down by now. Just remain calm and look over the records whenever you want."

"Got it. I'm ready your honor." Harmon said with his neck craning up to the judge who nodded.

"Very well. What was the cause of the victims death? the judge asked.

Quick as lightening, Harmons hand ran to the autopsy report, which was honestly the only thing he had at this point. He looked towards the top and found what he was looking for.

"The victim was shot twice. One shot hit him in the on his upper right arm, and the other hit him in the chest, lodging itself near his heart. Death likely came within 10 seconds." He explained holding up the report. Enfier huffed.

"Very well. Apparently this attorney has some brains in him. It doesn't matter however. The defendants guilt is certain. I'm ready to begin my opening."

The judge nodded again. "Very well Ms. Enfier. You may begin."

Enfier picked up a document on her bench. "On March 10th, at a 3:53 PM, a hunter in the Lacara Woodland discovered the body of one Chip Alson, and placed an emergency call. Upon police arrival at the scene, police determined that death was caused due to two gunshots, as the defense stated." She said before pulling out a long bag from under the table, it was clear, and had something long and made of wood and metal in it. That could only be...

"Furthermore, they determined the murder weapon was this rifle. Ballistic markings prove the killing shots were fired from this gun. Unfortunately, no prints were lifted. It was a rather cold day, and pretty much everyone was wearing gloves."

Harmon put his left hand up to the side of his head, pointer finger extended and pushing into his hair slightly. So fingerprints wouldn't be any help in this case huh? But this all brought another question to his mind. "So, who owns the rifle?" He asked.

"The forest does. Outside weapons aren't permitted, but hunters are allowed to rent preapproved rifles and ammunition from a lodge near the parks entrance. The rifles registration numbers on the rifle tell us who owned the rifle. On the day of the murder, the rifle was rented by the victim in this case." Enfier said.

"Very well. The court accepts this Rifle into evidence" The judge said.

_Killing Rifle Added to the Court Record_

Harmon looked over the picture of the rifle the bailiff handed him, though he knew that he could see the rifle itself at a moments request.

"Alright. So the victim was killed with his own gun?" Harmon said thinking carefully about this new fact. "But I fail to see how this ties to my Client. Besides, as it stands, there's no motive." He added.

Enfier looked up in in what looked like some kind of twisted delight. "Oh but it's just the opposite. The defendant had a strong motive."

"Say what?" Harmon gaped. His hand sort of retracted towards him in alarm.

"I have evidence that is proof positive that the defendant had a strong motive." Enfier said taking a photo off the stand and placing it forward. The bailiff ran the same photo over to Harmon, who began to look at the picture closely as he thought to himself. _'What? Is this-'_

"Is that a bird?" the judge said finishing Harmons thought.

"I was just going to say. There's a dead bird in this photo." Harmon added.

"Exactly, that's the motive." Enfier said.

Harmon gaped. 'Maybe this case will be easier than I thought.'

He slammed his fists down on the bench. "HOLD IT! How on earth can this bird be considered a motive?" He yelled. The judge nodded.

"I agree with the defense. I fail to see how a dead bird constitutes a motive for murder." The judge agreed, to which Enfier recoiled.

"Wait! I can explain." She said trying to regain her composure. "I agree that on it's own, this bird doesn't mean much for a motive. But the circumstances of this bird are very important to this case!" She said with a look of utmost sincerity. The judge just gave a quizical tilt of his head, and Harmon was inclined to do the same.

Enfier continued. "You see. This bird was shot by a hunter, and while that may be a normal occurance under most circumstances, this was different." She adjusted her glasses. "This is the critically endangered Pockori Bird. There are only 500 of them left in the world." She said.

"5-" Went Tesain in surprise.

"5-" Went Harmon in just as much surprise.

"500!" Yelled the judge as the court went up into an uproar, only to be quelled by the judge, his trusty gavel, and a loud "ORDER! ORDER! ORDER!"

"As you can see." Enfier stated. "This is an extremely rare bird. The defendant has admitted himself to being a leading member of his local wildlife conservation committee." He said. The pieces were starting to fall into place for poor Mr. Grennan.

"Th-then you mean..." He started to mutter.

"Yes." Enfier finished. "The victim killed this rare bird while hunting. Then the defendant, in a fit of rage, killed the victim with his own rifle.

"Gyaakkkkk!" Harmon yelled jerking back. His hair almost seemed to erupt in an bright orange blaze before settling down again, sweat pouring. "That's... that's a pretty strong motive." He said. A hand rested on his shoulders.

"Calm down Sparkplug. They don't have any hard evidence yet. You can still win this." Tessain said looking across the courtroom at Enfier. But Enfier apparently hadn't heard Tessain, and instead was looking up at the judge. "Your honor, I wish to submit the picture of the Pockori Bird as evidence of the defendants motive" She said holding it out like a prize.

The judge thought for a moment and nodded. "Very well. The court accepts this as evidence."

_Pockori Bird Photograph has been Added to the Court Record_

"Y-Your honor, while I have to concede the prosecutions motive at this time, the court has yet to see any hard evidence pointing to my client!"

The judge looked rather surprised. "Hm! I suppose that's true." But apparently Enfier was prepared for that, because she immediately interjected. "Your honor. The prosecution would like to call a witness who saw the moment of the crime."

Harmon blanched and began sweating again. 'I just had to ask.'

"A witness!" the judge exclaimed. "How fortunate!" He said.

"Yes your honor. This witness saw the horrible deed done by the defendant, and is ready to testify." Enfier said, her voice oozing slime.

"Very well, please admit the witness to the stand." the judge said, a slight hint of command in his voice.

A man walked up to the stand, umbrella in tow. Enfier looked at him and snapped her finger. "Witness. Please state your name and occupation for the court."

"Percy Tation. I'm a cashier for Savers and Co. Grocers." He said, popping his umbrella. "But I prefer to camp more than anything. Sometimes I spend more time in the pouring rain than in the dry indoors." He said with a rather calm look on his face. Harmon just cocked an eyebrow.

"Eh! I enjoy the outdoors as well! Why I just brought my grandchild out to the park last week. He always loved watching the squirrels run around and such..." The judge began prattling.

_'Why spend time in the great outdoors when we've spent the past 10,000 years perfecting the great indoors?' _Harmon thought to himself.

Enfier put a hand up to stop him. "In any event. Please describe to the court the events you witnessed at 3:50 PM on March 10th."

Percy swung his umbrella around a little like a cane. "You got it."

**Witness Testimony: In the Forest That Day**

**I was walking through the woods, looking for some small game.**

**All of a sudden, I heard a gunshot.**

**When I turned my head, there was a man with a rifle pointed outwards.**

**Then a second man ran up, and the two began arguing.**

**Then the second man forced the rifle from the first one, and knocked him back as well.**

**He raised his hands in what was probably fear like this. But the second man shot him right in the arm.**

As he began, he raised his arms above his head, perfect 90 degree angles, palms facing out.

**Then he shot another round after the first was on the ground.**

**Then he ran, but I can say without a doubt that the second man was the man in the defendants seat.**

Harmon put his hand back to his head in thought. He was immediately broken from it by tessain.

"Here it is. Your first Cross examination. Sure you know what you're doing?" He asked. Harmon took a confident stance to him with a mighty "Of course! I listen to each of the witnesses statement very closely. If I feel the witness is being vague, I can just_ press_ him or her for more details." He explained before putting a finger up. "If I find a statement the doesn't fit the facts or people involved in the case, I can present evidence to prove a discrepency."

Tesain nodded. "Right. But be careful. Present the wrong evidence and you might lose your standing in the case."

"Of course. I guess that's really all there is to Cross Examining a witness." Harmon said before turning back to the judge. "Your honor, I'm prepared to begin my cross examination."

"Very well Mr. Grennan. You may begin when ready." The judge responded.

**Witness Testimony: In the Forest That Day**

**I was walking through the woods, looking for some small game.**

**"HOLD IT"**

Harmon yelled out to the man. "Game hunting? You mean you also rented a rifle from the Lodge?"

The man nodded. "Yes, but only for small things. Like... rabbits... or squirrels. They make a good stew you know."

The judge nodded. "I've had rabbit stew before, but never squirrel."

"Oh! It's good, trust me." Percy smiled.

Harmon rubbed his eyes. "Anyways, you also had a rifle at the time as well?"

"I guess that's true."

**"OBJECTION!" **Cried Enfier

"The ballistic markings of Mr Tations gun don't match any of the marks involved in this case. His rifle is unrelated."

"I-I see." Harmon said. "Witness, please continue."

**All of a sudden, I heard a gunshot.**

**When I turned my head, there was a man with a rifle pointed outwards.**

**Then a second man ran up, and the two began arguing.**

**Then the second man forced the rifle from the first one, and knocked him back as well.**

**He raised his hands in what was probably fear like this. But the second man shot him right in the arm.**

_'Wait. If the victim did that, then there's no way this evidence make any sense."_ Harmon thought. He picked up a paper off the desk and quickly skimmed in before yelling out at the top of his lungs.

**"OBJECTION!"**

All eyes turned to Harmon.

"I'm afraid that the autopsy report goes against your testimony." He said.

"Wh-what?" Enfier said, starting to sweat. "What's wrong about it? He said the victim was shot in the arm, just like in the autopsy report."

Harmon shook his head. "That's not what I have a problem with. I'm talking about the other part of the witness statement, the part about the victim holding up his hands."

"Eh?" Percy stated. "What's wrong with it?"

"I wouldn't expect you to know this because you didn't read the autopsy report. The bullet went clean through the arm, but the acording to this report, the coroner was able to determine the location of the entry and exit wounds."

Enfier nodded. "That's right. A very fine report if I do say so myse- AGH!" She yelled, realizing where he was going with it.

"As you can see in this report, the entry wound was located on the front of Mr. Alsons arm. The exit wound was on the back." He said holding his hand up like you would if you were being held up. "If the victim truly did hold his hands up..." He explained before throwing his arm outstretched, pointing straight at the witness.

**"Then the entry and exit wounds should be reversed!"**

The court burst into discussion, only to be quelled by the judge.

"Order! I say! Order! Witness, can you explain this discrepency."

The witness however, was sweating buckets, which proceeded to pour off the edge of his now opened umbrella, resting on the floor before him. "I- I'm not sure. And I know he held his hands up exactly like that... so... I mean..." He continued before cutting himself off. Something in his face told Harmon that Mr. Tation didn't mean to say that. It was also clear the Enfier didn't want him to continue with that.

"Objection! Your honor, I believe the witness is clearly mistaken." Enfier said. "Perhaps the first shot was to the chest. Then the defendant took a second shot, which clipped the victims arm. It was only then that the defendant realized he had succeeded, and so didn't make any further shots."

"Yeah! That's right!" Tation said straitening up. The sweat was gone, and he had a rather... sunny face on. "He shot the victim in the chest first! That's right!"

Harmon gulped. "Ah! I guess that might make sense." He said before turning to his boss. "Sorry Mr. Tesain. I guess that contradiction was a dud, so to speak"

Tesain only shook his head. "I beg to differ. You've opened up a new line of attack. All you need to do is disprove the prosecutions claim and the witness' statement falls apart again."

"Really?" Harmon asked.

At this point, the judge was tired of trying to eavesdrop on the defense, and so rapped his gavel to garner some attention. "Now then. Does the defense have a problem with the prosecutions claim that the victim was shot in the arm after he was on the ground from the chest wound?"

Harmon didn't even have to think considering what it meant for his case.

"Of course I do your honor. The prosecutions argument has a gaping hole in it." He said before echoing in his mind_ 'I think.'_

"Very well, what evidence do you have to support this?" The judge asked.

Harmon looked at the evidence that was still in his hand. The autopsy. Nothing in that wall of text seemed to help. Bu the next page had a picture. Maybe something in there would be of use.

_'Wait... but that would mean...' _He said his eyes going wide.

**"TAKE THAT!" **He yelled thrusting forward the packet of the autopsy again, this time to show the crime scene photo.

"Th-the crime scene?" Enfier said with a wavering voice. Tesain smiled.

"Ah. Time for this then?"

Harmon crossed his arms and gave a big smirk. "You know it." He then turned back to face his opposition. "I would like to direct the courts attention to this blood spatter, that's trailed a few behind the victim, leading from his arm." He pointed to the trail of blood.

"I-I see." The judge said. "But what does this do to disprove the prosecutions case."

"Well you see your honor, if the prosecution is correct and the second shot was fired while the victim was flat on the ground, we would expect the spatter to have formed small and below the victims arm, but it didn't. It spattered far and back!" He yelled.

**"This can only mean that the victims arm was at the very least vertical when he was shot!" **He finished with a slam.

The prosecution recoiled again. "We-well maybe the victim reached up in a last ditch effort to defend himself."

Harmon didn't even respond. The prosecution was venturing into his territory, and even tessain had a happily complacent look. "Prosecutor Enfier... I do apologize, but I believe the defense has a way to prove that's impossible."

Enfier went wide eyed. "You- you what?"

The judge went just as wide eyed. "You do?"

Tessain nodded. "Yes, we, or more specifically, Mr. Grennan, does. It's kind of his special skill of sorts." to which harmon nodded.

Now you see, Harmon has a special skill. Not one that he had naturally or anything, but one that he had acquired through years of studying. Through the years, Harmon had become an expert in _Forensic Analysis._ He took what looked like two light red rods from his belt and placed them on the table. He pulled them apart, and a thin red holographic screen appeared between them. Right in the metal was a bright orange flame.

"So all you need to analyze is that crime scene photo right?" Tesain said tilting his head.

Harmon nodded,. "Right. But first, I need to select blood spatter analysis." He said peering down at the screen. There were a bunch of different buttons to press, but he immediately went for blood spatter, which was the first button in the top right corner. The screen immediately went a transparent grey, and an outline appeared, along with the text "Place Spatter Image Here" to which Harmon held the crime scene photo up. The holographic device scanned the picture and displayed it in the air before him.

"Perfect. Now all I need to do is select the blood stain I want to analyze." He said, tapping the red smear that began a couple feet behind the victims arm. Little vector and numbers flashed across the stain, before a set of three lines appeared, and three lines of text as well

"Analysis complete:

Gunshot Spatter. Most likely match, .557 caliber Rifle

Horizontal distance from origin, 4 feet. Vertical distance, 5 feet."

Harmon read this information aloud. "As we can see, the analysis matches the caliber of the rifle used in this crime. The distance the bloodstain begins from the location of the wound on the arm also appears to be about 4 feet. But the really interesting thing is the height." He said. Prosecutor Enfier let out a "Unf..."

"Unless our victim has a 10 foot long arm..." He said flicking his hand, dispelling the floating graphic in front of him by flashing his outstretched arm through it.

**"The victim must have been standing up when he was shot in the arm!"**

The witness' face flushed as you could almost hear a thunderbolt like crack come from his umbrella as he threw it over his head. "Th-that's ridiculous! That would mean he was shot in the arm first!"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. And this brings us back to the original contradiction of him holding his arms up." Harmon said with his smirk. The judge nodded.

"Correct. Now that the prosecutions most recent theory has been rendered moot, we need a new explanation for this discrepancy."

Tessain immediately turned to Harmon. "Now's your chance. The prosecution made it's claim, now it's time to make yours! If you can come up with an explanation for this contradiction that leads where you want it to go, then you win."

"R-right!" Harmon said, although he did mentally tack on_ 'Well, it probably won't be that easy.'_

He then slammed his hand down. "Your honor! I believe I can explain this contradiction. The obvious solution to this contradiction is that the victim never held his hands up. That would mean that..." He said with a smile. "This witness is lying."

The courtroom bust out yet again into another round of discussion.

"Lying... but wouldn't that mean-"

"Hush up and watch the trial."

"Wow! Who would have thought?"

The judge silenced them all again with a rap of his mighty gavel. "Order! Lying! Are you accusing this witness of lying to the court about what he saw?"

Harmon could only nod. "Indeed I am. Not only that..." He said before throwing out his index finger again.

**"But I suspect that this witness, Mr. Percy Tation, is the true killer!"**

The court exploded again, and this time the judge did nothing to stop them. He knew it wouldn't have done any good. Mr. Tation was still sweating buckets.

"Mr. Grennan! You are making a serious accusation against this man." The judge said. "I hope you have evidence to support it."

Enfier somehow managed to regain her composure. "That's right! The defense hasn't shown one shred of proof pointing to this witness."

Harmon flushed pale. She was right. He didn't have any evidence. Just a hunch. "I- uhm... well... I don't actually have-" He began stuttering. All of a sudden he was cut off.

"Any doubt that the witness is the killer. And we have the evidence to prove it." It was Tesain.

"Boss..." Harmon whispered.

"Take it easy sparkplug. Your honor, the defense does have proof of it's claim, but we require a brief ten minute recess to be sure this proof is as concrete as we believe." Tesain announced.

The judge considered this. "Hmm. Very well, if the prosecution has no objections, I will allow a brief ten minute recess. After that, the defense will present this 'Proof.' But be aware that if this proof does not point to the witness in any way, I will be forced to hand down my verdict."

The prosecutor shrugged. "I have no objections. I'm actually rather interested to seed how far the defense is going to bend back trying to find some shred of proof." She said with a laugh.

Harmon let out a light sigh._ 'That was too close.'_

"And with that, the court is adjourned for a brief recess." The judge said with a slam of his gavel, adjourning the court.

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	4. Turnabout Hunt: Trial Latter

March 12, 10:14 AM

District Court

Defendant Lobby #3

Harmon was the first to burst back into the lobby. "That was a total train wreck!" He groaned as Tesain followed right behind him, simply responding "On the contrary. Most attorneys mess up far worse on their first trial. You did very well."

Harmon turned heel to face him. "You mean this case is lost?" He said rather shocked.

"Oh no, I never said that. I only mean to say that to get this far isn't common. It's even less common to come out on top but…" Tessain explained before recounting a few lawyers that came to mind. "It does happen."

"Then I need your advice Walter. What do I do? I don't have any proof, much less an idea where that proof would be."

Mr. Tessain merely smiled and shook his head, before flashing his million dollar smile that could turn even the most resolute woman to putty in his hands… or so Harmon had been told. Once again, this was probably an exaggeration. Probably.

"Well then, I should tell you where to go for your proof. The rest should fall in place for you." He said, his face becoming a tad bit more serious. "If that witness is your killer, then there's something about the victims death that doesn't quite fit." He said.

"Something that… doesn't quite fit?" Harmon repeated.

"Exactly. I'm talking about the fact the witness had a rifle. If the killer had their own rifle_… then why didn't they use it instead of wrestling the victim's rifle from him?"_

Harmon let out a hum. "I see! But that doesn't help me. In fact, that only helps the prosecution."

"Maybe not." Tessain responded. "Think about _why _the killer _couldn't _use his rifle."

Harmon thought for a moment. "Well, maybe it jammed, or maybe it wasn't within reach. That would mean that there was no way for him to go for his own weapon before the victim had his own drawn."

"Correct." Tessain pointed to him. "Look through your evidence for proof of a misplaced rifle, and you have your thread. Pull it loose, and you have your proof."

"Thanks Mr. Tessain." Harmon said before being tapped on the shoulder by a bailiff.

"Mr. Grennan, court is about to reconvene. Please make your way to the courtroom."

Harmon nodded. "Of course." Before walking back through the lobby doors.

10:19 AM

District Court

Courtroom #5

The jury rabbled on as the attorneys took their spots again, still enraptured by the courtroom display they had just witnessed only minutes before. But as before, the judges gavel silenced them.

"Court is now back in session for the trial of Connor Dore. Are both sides prepared?"

Harmon nodded. "Yes your honor." With the Blanche Enfier following suit with "Of course your Honor."

"Now Mr. Grennan…" The judge said, looking to the witness stand. Mr. Tation was once again standing at it, looking rather… stormy. The judge continued. "You have accused this witness of a very grave crime. I hope for your sake, and the sake of the court that you have evidence to back it up."

Harmon nodded. "Yes your honor, I do." Before wringing out his hands._ 'At least I think I do.'_

"Very well, please present your proof to the court." Responded the judge.

"Very well your honor. My proof is the witness' rifle." Harmon said simply.

"The witness' Rifle!" Said Enfier incredulously. "The witness' rifle has been proven to be irrelevant to the case at hand. Only the victim's rifle matches the ballistic markings from the bullets that killed him."

"I'm afraid I must agree with the prosecution on this matter Mr. Grennan. The witness' rifle has not been presented as evidence, and I see little reason to believe it needs to be." The judge said rather skeptically.

"On the contrary your honor." Harmon said smiling. "I have physical proof that the witness' rifle is involved in this case."

"You do?" The judge said rather surprised. Tation looked even more so.

"What? How could you?" He asked. "My rifle was never there at the crime scene."

"I beg to differ. And this is my evidence to prove it!" He yelled shoving forward a picture.

**"Take That!" **He yelled.

Enfier looked across, adjusting her glasses. "The Pockori bird photo?" She asked.

"Yes. But I ask that you look at the non-cropped version attached. It's harder to see the bird, but there is something else of importance."

"Really, and what would that be?" The judge asked.

"I would please ask the court to look right here." He said before yelling again **"Take That!"**

He was pointing at a muddy patch of ground a couple feet from the bird. "See this patch of ground here?" Harmon asked. "It's pretty muddy, but if you look closely…" he said magnifying the photo for the rest of the court to see. There was a pretty sizeable indent in the mud.

"As we all can probably recall, it rained the night before the murder. The sun had come out that day, but some of the mud had yet to dry." He explained. "Something made this imprint in the mud that day, and judging from its distance from the bird, I doubt it's unrelated." He said. Enfier really looked stressed. She began adjusting her glasses although it clearly wasn't helping.

"That shape… it… looks like… the butt of a rifle." She sputtered.

"Exactly!" Harmon said. "Now Prosecutor Enfier, please tell me, how many rifles were rented that day?" He asked. Enfier reached for a sheet of paper.

"Only those two. But this still doesn't prove anything!" She yelled. "That rifle imprint could still be the victims." She said. Harmon just shook his head.

"I'm sorry Prosecutor Enfier, but that just isn't possible."

"Wha-" Enfier stuttered.

"And that's because of this evidence!" He said thrusting forward another picture. **"Take That!" **He yelled. It was a picture of the rifle itself. Enfier took the bagged rifle from her desk. "The rifle?" She asked.

"Yes. As you'll notice, there isn't a speck of mud on it. There's a little speck of a leaf if you look really close, but not even a hint of mud. If the victim had dropped this in the mud…" He said before throwing out his pointer finger **"Then there should absolutely be mud on the butt of this rifle"**

Enfier and Tation both gave very noticeable flinched. All the judge could muster was an "Oh my." Tessain just smiled. "Told you sparkplug. Now go on and finish this." He said.

"Your honor!" Harmon said slamming his desk. "In light of this, I say that as the only person who could have dropped his rifle in that spot. And without his rifle on hand, he would have had to resort to strongarming the victim's rifle from him. After all, grabbing his own rifle off the ground would give Mr. Alson enough time to go for his own rifle and keep Mr. Tation from going on the offensive."

**"Objection!"** Enfier screamed across the court. "But that theory is riddled with holes. There's no proof it happened like that!"

**"Objection!"** Harmon countered. "While there may not be proof, I can at least prove that the Mr. Tation here has made movements that he hasn't told the court about." He said, and pointed at him again. **"And I demand that he testify again about why his rifle was there!"** He yelled.

"Your honor!" Mr. Tation yelled, sweating off his umbrella again. "This is crazy! There's no reason to make me continue with this."

The judge thought and shook his head. "I'm sorry Mr. Tation, but Mr. Grennan has given a reasonable argument that shows your rifle may be involved in this case. Until we exhaust this line of reasoning, this court cannot reach a verdict." He said. "Prosecutor Enfier, please place an inquiry with the forest lodge to requisition the witness' Rifle."

"Yes your honor." Prosecutor Enfier said like she'd just been backhanded. "The Lodge has been kept closed for the remainder of the investigation, so the witness' rifle should be in the same condition it was in when the police returned it after we decided it was uhm… irrelevant to the case." She said.

_'Wow. She sure didn't want to admit that. They really overlooked important evidence there.' _Harmon thought.

"Witness, while the police are tracking down your rifle, please explain why your rifle was there at the scene." The judge ordered. Tation looked scared for a second, before he cleared up like a cloudy day.

"Sure thing your honor. I can explain exactly what happened." He said with the utmost confidence.

"Why do I feel like I won't like this?" Harmon said.

**Witness Testimony: Why I dropped the Rifle**

**Well you see, I saw that kid Dore drop the victims rifle in a soft spot of leaves.**

**After that, he ran. Then I drew my rifle and went to check on that guy Alson.**

**I realized he was dead and immediately called the police.**

**Soon after hanging up with them, I noticed the dead bird and rushed over in the brush.**

**I immediately recognized it as the rare Pockori bird.**

**The shock of seeing such a beautiful creature dead made me drop my rifle in the mud.**

**I immediately picked it up and went back to the victim.**

**I didn't mention it because I didn't want to seem suspicious. Sorry.**

The judge looked wide eyed. "Witness! This is important testimony!"

"Yeah, I know. I'm really sorry for that, and promise to pay whatever price that may bring me." Tation sighed. He looked kind of gloomy.

"Oh, it's not that bad." The judge said. "I think we can overlook it this once." The judge then looked at him sternly. "As long as you give truthful testimony from now on!"

"Yes your honor." Tation said.

**Witness Testimony: Why I dropped the Rifle**

**Well you see, I saw that kid Dore drop the victims rifle in a soft spot of leaves.**

**After that, he ran. Then I drew my rifle and went to check on that guy Alson.**

**I realized he was dead and immediately called the police.**

**Soon after hanging up with them, I noticed the dead bird and rushed over in the brush.**

**I immediately recognized it as the rare Pockori bird.**

**"Hold It!"**

Harmon pounded his desk again. "How did you know it was the Pockori Bird?" He asked.

"Here, have this." Tation said handing a small booklet over to Harmon. "Turn to page 17 Mr. Grennan."

Harmon did so, and found an image of the bird in question. "I see." He said reading off it. "So the Pockori is easily confused for the common Macorana. Apparently it uses this to blend in with a Macorana flock and hide from predators. It's just that little blue spot on it's stomach that lets you tell the difference." Harmon said.

The judge looked outword thoughtfully. "Ahhhhh Macorana. I love listening to the Macorana song when I was a boy. It always just… made me want to dance!" He said jovially.

_'Wow. A dancing Judge. That would be a sight to see.'_

"That's right." Tation said. "They have a beautiful song. Anyways, feel free to keep that booklet. I have dozens." He said.

_Bird Pamphelet has been added to the Court Record._

"I see. But anyways, can you please add that statement about how you were able to tell the difference to your testimony. I think it might be important." Harmon said putting his hand up to his head in thought.

"I see. Very well." Tation said, sweating a bit.

**I was able to tell it was a Pockori because of the blue dot on it's stomach.**

**"Objection!"**

Harmon immediately interjected. "Just because of a blue dot? I find that hard to believe."

"What?" Tation said, rumbling mad. "It's true I tell you! Only Pockori birds have that distinct dot on their stomachs."

"Oh, I don't doubt that." Harmon said. "But I doubt you could have seen that doubt because of this!"

He yelled thrusting out the picture of the pockori bird the police took.

"The Pockori photo again?" Enfier said wiping her glasses.

"Yes, as you can see in this photo, by pure chance, the Pockori was shot right through the blue dot on its stomach!"

Enfier rocked back. "Y-yeah. We were able to determine it was a Pockori via other means, but to a casual onlooker, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between this Pockori and and a- ACK!" She said catching herself.

"And the _Common _Macorana. Now tell me witness. If you saw a bird like this on the ground, what would you think? Would you immediately assume it was an extremely rare Pockori bird of which there are only 500 left in the world?" He asked slamming his bench, then pointing at the witness. **"Or would you assume it was a Common Macorana?" **He yelled.

Tation went pale, and began sweating again. "I- well… I…"

"Now I highly doubt that somebody who went out to hunt small game would drop his rifle just at the sight of fairly common game bird."

Tation looked nervous, as he searched for an answer before looking up. "Fine, I admit it." He said calmly, which prompted a rather surprised look from Harmon.

"Wait, you admit it?" Harmon asked. _'Well that was easy.'_

"I admit that I shot the bird."

Oh.

"But it was a total accident, and has nothing to do with this case."

The court burst into discussion, and not even the judge with his gavel flying could stop them.

"But if you shot the bird, then the prosecutions motive for my client falls apart!"

**"Objection!"** Enfier cried from across the court. "Not necessarily. Maybe Mr. Dore killed Alson for a different reason. We don't know at this point. But what we do have, is definitive testimony."

The judge shook his head. "I'm not so sure Prosecutor. This witness has repeatedly changed his story, and his credibility is very questionable at this point."

"W-wait!" Tation said. "I can explain why I had to lie, and give truthful testimony! Give me another chance, I promise!"

Harmon began to sweat. This was his chance. If he spoke now, there was a chance he could get the witness dismissed. But then he wouldn't have any proof as to the real killer. So his only option was…

"Your honor, I have no objections to the witness giving further testimony."

The prosecution didn't respond, she was too dumbfounded by the most recent revelations.

"Very well." The judge sighed. "If the prosecution has no objections, the witness may give new testimony."

**Witness Testimony: Why I Shot the Bird**

**As I said, I did shoot the bird, but it was an accident!**

**When I stumbled upon the crime scene, I was so shocked I dropped my rifle.**

**When it hit the ground, it discharged and killed the bird in the tree.**

**So you see, I shot the bird after I saw the murder. I didn't do it!**

**I was going to come clean about it today in court, but then I learned about how rare it was.**

**I lied because I knew I would be suspected if everyone knew I shot the bird!**

Harmon gaped. _'That testimony is just too convenient.' _He thought to himself.

"Careful." Tessain said turning to him. "He's being accused of a big crime here. He'll probably freely admit to other smaller crimes if it will mean he gets to go free."

"So he'll admit to the small crime to avoid the big one?" Harmon asked.

"Exactly. Right now he's claiming it was an accident. Next he'll claim it was on purpose. But in this case, you can use that to your advantage." Tesain explained. Harmon immediately understood what he meant and nodded.

"Got it." Harmon said turning to the judge. "Your honor, I'm prepared to begin my cross examination."

**Witness Testimony: Why I Shot the Bird**

**As I said, I did shoot the bird, but it was an accident!**

**When I stumbled upon the crime scene, I was so shocked I dropped my rifle.**

**When it hit the ground, it discharged and killed the bird in the tree.**

**So you see, I shot the bird after I saw the murder. I didn't do it!**

**"Objection!"**

Harmon picked up a piece of evidence he had only just received. "I'm sorry Mr. Tation. But your testimony makes no sense."

"What? How so?" He said, looking really scared now.

"Remember that pamphlet you gave me earlier? Well there's another interesting factoid I learned from it. Due to their low numbers, Pockori birds have a tendency to flee area where they hear loud noises."

"Yeah. Some birds aren't bothered by loud noises, but the Pockori fly away at the first hint of it. So- AGH!" Tation gasped out.

"Exactly. If you saw the bird after the murder, then the first two gunshots would have scared the Pockori away!" Harmon explained before flashing out his pointer finger. **"By the time you got to the scene, the Pockori would have been long gone!"**

It looked like a storm had broken out behind Tation as he recoiled in bolt. "W-well. Fine then. I killed the bird before the murder. I mistook it for a Macarona at a distance, and shot it." He said trying to cover for himself.

"Then that brings about an earlier contradiction." Harmon argued. "If you shot the bird before the murder, and truly didn't recognize it as a rare bird until now…" He asked before slamming his desk. "Then what made you drop your rifle?"

Tation began to sweat again.

"I can only think of one explanation." Harmon said. "You purposefully shot that bird. You knew how rare it was, and the Victim found you. In surprise, you dropped your rifle." He said, picturing the events in his head. "Mr. Alson must have realized what the bird was somehow. He probably saw you take the shot. Anyways, you realized he couldn't live to incriminate you." Harmon explained.

"But now you had a problem. Your Rifle was out of reach, and an armed hunter stood between you and it." He said. "Your only option left was to strong-arm the gun from him. You're clearly much more heavily built than him. It was probably far less risky to wrestle for his gun than it was to risk Mr. Alson levelling his gun on you and prevent you from doing anything."

Tation was positively pallid.

"Then you shot him once in the arm. Once he was on the ground, you shot him again in the chest." Harmon said. "When the investigation was going on, you probably heard the name of Mr. Dore as a person of interest, and decided to frame him for your crime"

Tation looked about ready to pour out. Just a little further.

**"Objection!" **Enfier yelled. "This is all just conjecture based on a dropped rifle! There's no physical evidence!" She yelled.

The judge nodded. "I have to agree with the prosecution. While you do make a very compelling case, I'm afraid you lack the hard evidence to prove it." He said. "With this, I'm afraid I'll have to end this cross examination, and then render my verdict."

_'N-no!' _Harmon thought._ 'But I'm so close! I just need some evidence.'_

Tesain looked to him. "You're not washed up yet. There's still one piece of evidence we haven't looked at… even if it isn't physically here."

Harmon pondered this for a second and then his head snapped up. _"That's right!" _He proceeded to pound his bench.

**"Hold It!" **He yelled. "Your honor! I request that you hold your verdict. I believe we have proof."

The judge looked shocked. "Really now? And can you present this proof to the court?"

Harmon shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't show it at this moment…" He began.

Enfier cut him off. "Then you don't have any evidence. Please don't waste this courts time."

"Let me finish. I can't show it at this moment…" He repeated. "Because the evidence is still on its way here."

"What?" The judge asked.

Prosecutor Enfier began to piece it together. "You mean?"

"Yes!" Harmon said pointing his finger out.

**"The witness rifle is the last piece of evidence we need to solve this case!"**

All three, the judge, witness, and prosecution did a double take. The judge however, was the only one to speak.

"T-that's right! We were waiting on the witness rifle! We were going to admit it as evidence, but it's yet to arrive."

"Exactly your honor." Harmon said with crossed arms. "If my theory is correct, then there should be some evidence on this rifle!"

The court burst into discussion.

"Your honor, from what I learned, the rifle should be here in about half an hour."

"Very well Prosecutor Enfier. Mr. Grennan, we will await the arrival of this new evidence.

It took about half an hour for the evidence to arrive. A bailiff brought the bagged rifle into the court with him.

"The forensic lab managed to perform a few preliminary tests on this rifle." He said. "The most important test was a luminol test. This test revealed a small bloodstain on the barrel of the rifle. The stain appeared to be approximately half a week old."

"A bloodstain!" The judge yelled.

"Exactly your honor! The stain being half a week old places it as having been made around the time of the crime. A further test will show if it's the victim's blood!" He yelled. Tation began to rumble in anger.

"But the witness already knows this." He said with a smirk. "It's the end of the line. Mr. Percy Tation…" He began. With one drawn out motion he pointed straight at the man, the line of his hand piercing straight through him.

**"You were the one who killed Mr. Chip Alson!"**

Mr Tation sweat became more intense, but his umbrella became unable to take it as it began to flail around as if being thrown about by hurricane force winds.

"N-No! That's not right! It wasn't meee… that bird! That other man killed that bird. That bird that bird that bird thaaaatttt BIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRDDDDDDDDDDD" He screamed. With that, the umbrella was blown over his head before stopping. It clicked before closing shut over his head. "AGH!" He yelled, running around blindly before ramming straight into the stand and keeling over.

The gallery went nuts. The judge and prosecution stood in stunned silence. Harmon gave a slight smile. Tessain as well.

As they all later learned, the witness was a poacher. This Pockori was by no means his first illegal kill, and he had many other unlawful bounties that would have come to light had Mr. Alson accused him.

But now it was over. The judge rapped his gavel. "I must say I'm rather surprised. You don't see this kind of result from a new attorney's first trial. If this is any kind of indicator based on similar trials I've seen." He said looking up. "I foresee great things for you Mr. Grennan."

The prosecution looked rather upset. After all, she had just lost.

"But now I believe it's time for me to declare my verdict." He said looking to the defendant on the stand. "This court finds the Defendant, Connor Dore…"

**Not**

**Guilty**

Some confetti rained from the gallery as the judge rapped his gavel again.

"Court is now adjourned."

March 12, 11:08 AM

District Court

Defendant Lobby #3

Harmon, Tessain, and Connor strode into the lobby. Harmon again was the first to speak. "I did it! I did it!" He yelled with a fist pump. Tessain patted him on the back with a hard knock that almost made Harmon choke.

"Good going sparkplug! I knew you had it in you."

Connor ran up and gave Harmon his biggest bear hug. "Thanks man. I owe you one!"

"You owe me like 20." Harmon joked at him.

"Yeah, probably. Just put it on my tab alright?" Connor responded.

"Witty repartee aside, you managed to maneuver that evidence pretty well there. You still have a long way to go though." Tessain said flashing his huge smile.

"Yeah, I know. But I have to start somewhere." Harmon said as well. "And as long as I have the evidence on my side, I know I'll find justice for those who need it."

"Looks like you have a good direction sparkplug." Tessain responded. "But you can't drive in any direction without fuel. I say we all go out to Tres Biens for a celebratory dinner."

"Tres Biens? Isn't that place wicked expensive nowadays?" Harmon asked.

"Well you don't know this." Tessain said. "But I once helped get one of their guys out of a pretty nasty lawsuit, so whenever I go there, it's on the house!"

"Really? Man, you meet all kind of cool people through your job." Connor said.

"Yeah. You can look forward to that kind of stuff Grennan." Tessain said. "But for now… we eat!"

And that was the start of the legal legacy of Harmon Grennan. He didn't know it at the time, but the next few months would be life changing, as he found himself embroiled in case upon case… starting with a mysterious case _involving a mysterious machine._

**Turnabout Hunt: End**


	5. The Experimental Turnabout: Prologue

**A new case has been unlocked!**

**The Experimental Turnabout**

A couple colored lights softly blinked in the darkness.

"The world of tomorrow is now here today. Science is always showing us new ways of living. Lives are saved every day by the latest scientific advancements and technology."

A motor began to whir, as the lights grew a bit brighter, illuminating the metal they were built into.

"But we must be careful. Science sometimes advances too quickly. And then innocents pay the price."

The lights grew even brighter, illuminating it further. The slim outline of a light blue device was revealed. It had a few tubes running along the sides, running to the front of it.

"It won't stop though. Nothing can stop progress. Nothing can stop the forward momentum of science. While it may never stop, it is important to remain vigilant. Because history has shown that if we stand idly by and allow technology to advance too rapidly..."

The device flashed to life, fully illuminated. A thin stream of gas began to flow from the open tubes.

**"We will discover new ways of dying."**


	6. The Experimental Turnabout: Day 1

**March 19, 9:45 AM**

**Tessain Law Offices**

**Harmon Grennan's Office**

Harmon patiently tapped his foot. In the week following the VX-4 incident, as his first case had come to be called, Harmon found himself with little to do. He would do the odd paper filing for Mr. Tessain here and there, but the inflow of cases was so small that Mr. Tessain could handle it all on his own. It was… rather discouraging. So here Harmon was, playing a round of Steel Samurai Clash against some random opponent. It was kind of an unimaginative game, cashing in on a popular kids show, but it passed the time.

After the umpteenth game on Dual Mode, he decided he had play enough for one day and at least try to find something else to do. He closed down the game before scanning his desk. Organized. That probably wouldn't last long.

_'No time for that now Harmon! Focus! You need to do something!_' He said in his head, before shuffling some pencils into order.

"There!" He said out loud. "No my pencils are all ready for…" He said before a bead of sweat formed on his head. _'Oh who am I kidding?'_

Then the phone began ringing. Maybe there was some kind of hope. He grabbed the phone up with a mighty "Tessain and Co. Law Offices! Harmon Grennan speaking."

The hardy voice of his boss boomed back at him. "Just me Harmon. I think we have something for you. I have an important trial tomorrow, and I just got a call from a potential client. He wanted me to defend him, but I just won't be able to do both. From what I've managed to gather, his case is right in your area of expertise."

Harmons eyes lit up. "You want me to take his case!" He yelled slamming his hand on his desk like in court. Ouch. That metal desk is much harder than the wood ones in the court. Swallowing the slight stinging feeling in his hand, he waited for Tessains response.

"Exactly. He should be at the detention center. But before you leave, I want you to meet me in my office. We have a new employee."

Harmon raised an eyebrow. "New employee? Who?" He asked. Now he wasn't quite sure how, but he could almost hear Tessain shrugging on the other end.

"Well, not another Lawyer, but somebody who should be a big help to us. You'll meet her when you get here. See you in a few Sparkplug."

Harmon blinked before looking down at the receiver. "Wait? Her?" He asked, half expecting an answer from the monotone buzzing of the handset. After about half a minute of doing that, he finally set the handset down when it began beeping in his ear. Smooth Harmon. Now all he had to do was **move **to Tessain's office.

**March 19, 9:52 AM**

**Tessain Law Offices**

**Walter Tessains Office**

The door to Tessains office creaked as Harmon slid his way in. Tessain was busy throwing darts at the little board on the wall. There were a couple staples in it, as well as little bits of paper, remnants of pictures and papers that the Boss had taken shots at over the years. With one fluid motion, Tessain threw a dart and swiveled his chair to face Harmon.

"There you are Grennan." He began placing his hands in a contemplating position. "Now I realize this past week has been rather slow. But you've seen first-hand that the number of cases that come through this office are often slightly more than I can manage." He said. Harmon could only nod. After all, it was true. There was a little overflow, but not much.

"So what I want you to do is take the overflow. While it won't always be a murder case, it should definitely be the perfect amount of work for somebody of your… experience." He said, likely resisting the urge to preface that experience with the word 'limited'

"Thank you Sir!" Harmon said balling his fist and giving it a small pump. But then he remembered the other thing Tessain had told him. "Oh, and Sir, you mentioned a new employee?" Harmon said. Tessain let out a laugh.

"Right. The cases is only half of why I brought you here. Since you're going to be taking on a larger case load, there's going to be a lot of little stuff you'll have to remember to do." Tessain explained. Harmon honestly expected this. More cases… more fine details to worry about.

"So that's why I've hired a paralegal." Tessain said. Now that was surprising. Harmon was familiar with paralegals… people who were hired by attorneys to file paperwork and assist them with small tasks. Harmon knew that Tessain was only just able to afford a new attorney for the office in the past year. Somehow he was able to afford a paralegal now?

The door creaked again, and instead of the steady thump of Harmon's shoes, a slight tap entered. When Harmon pictured paralegal, he wasn't quite thinking in the sense of what walked through the door. A young woman, maybe all of 3 years younger than him. And that outfit was certainly… unique. She had a deep blue skirt that went down to her knees. Her shirt was a similar color, though it was half covered by a light blue sweater vest.

This 5 second visual scan was completed when he leveled to her face. She was about 4 inches shorter than him and had a rather slim face, with a smile that was a mix of utmost confidence and unbridled enthusiasm. Her blond hair flowed down in a ponytail to about a foot or so below the base of her neck, but it was still long enough in front that it covered her forehead. The last striking detail he noticed was a streak of blue right down the middle of her bangs.

"Oh! You must be…" Harmon began before being cut off by his boss.

"Claire!" Tessain said with a jovial guffaw.

"Hey Uncle Walter!" She said with a beaming grin. Harmon blinked. It took him a couple seconds to process that sentence in its entirety. When it all sunk in, he gaped.

"Uncle? You're an Uncle?" Harmon sputtered, trying to figure just how he was supposed to feel about this new development.

"Yes." Tessain said with a laugh. "This is my Niece Claire. She's going to be working with you as a paralegal. She just graduated high school this past year, and she needs some experience." He explained. The pieces began to fall into place. So the only reason 'Uncle Walter' could afford a paralegal is because she was family and he could probably get away with paying her less.

"So this is the big hotshot you've been telling me about?" She said looking him up and down. "Thought he'd be a bit cuter..." She shot at him, half joking, half serious.

Harmon immediately shot a glare back to her that sarcastically said. _'Well sorry that I'm not up to your cute standards.' _

"Now play nice you two." Tessain said pointing his pen towards them. Next he pointed the pen to Claire. "You're going to be working with Harmon here. He's going to be undertaking his first solo case, so give him all the help you can." Claire just shrugged. "Sure. I need the work experience anyways." She proceeded to look Harmon over again. "Besides. You don't look half bad." She said with a wink. Harmon flushed a brighter red than his hair.

Tessain gave out another roaring laugh. "That's my Claire!" He said with an ear to ear smile. "You keep each other in line you hear!" He said as Harmon started to walk from Walter's office, only to be held up one with one more statement. "Head over to the detention center as soon as possible, your client should be waiting there." He said. Harmon nodded and walked from the office without another word. He mainly did so because he was too flustered to even give a proper goodbye. Claire tap-tapped right along behind him and soon popped up at his side.

"So where to big guy?" She said giving him a light one two punch to the arm. Harmon just looked down at her and crossed his arms.

"Well, my client should be waiting down at the detention center. To be honest, I have no idea what I'm getting into." He said sheepishly.

Claire gave a slight smirk. "Well I can't see this going wrong." She said walking out the door. Harmon blinked.

"Hey! Wait for me!" He yelled running after her.

**March 19, 10:15 AM**

**Detention Center**

**Visitors Room**

Harmon walked into the visitor's room. Though he had been in here a few times, visiting clients with Mr. Tessain, this was different. He was in charge of this case. Well, if the client took him. The thin glass that separated him from the accused… it always made him wonder what it must feel like to be on the other side.

He looked on either side of him before spotting Claire, who had somehow popped up to his left

_'Man that is creepy.' _He thought to himself.

"So you think our client will be nice?" Claire asked. Harmon turned the question over in his head before raising an eyebrow. "In my experience, if they're nice, they're quirky." He said. "It's a mix."

Before Claire could respond, the door to the visitor's room behind them opened. Whirling around, they were faced with a rather scrawny man in a white lab coat. He had a swirl of chestnut hair that drooped down over an eye.

"A-are you Mr. Grennan?" He asked, looking like he was ready to fracture at any moment.

"Well he seems nice." Claire said tilting her head to the side and putting her hand up to her hair. Harmon could only shrug. "Let's see where the quirk is." He said, knowing that until he pressed the button on the table, the man behind the glass wouldn't be able to hear a word.

With a quick click, Harmon took a seat and addressed the helpless looking man. "Yes, I'm Harmon Grennan."

"Omar Watkins." The man behind the glass responded. "I'm an electronics engineer for Braimen Laboratories."

"Well then Mr. Watkins, I was told that I would be your attorney for your trial." Harmon said tugging on his lapel to show his badge.

This seemed to bring a slight smile to Omar's face. "Great! Maybe now I have a chance."

"W-well hold on." Harmon said waving his hands. "I still don't know anything about you, or your case. It's way too early to say."

Omar immediately drooped. "I knew it wouldn't be that easy. I'm doomed."

_'Whoo boy. This guy's demeanor changes on a dime.'_

"So now what do we do?" Claire asked. Harmon was rather surprised. If she was going to be a paralegal, she should know how to go about this.

"W-well. First things first, we have to **talk** to our client, and find out anything we can." He explained. Claire immediately brightened up.

"Oh yeah! I remember that!" She said, hands on her hips and a proud look in her eyes. "Uncle Walter told me that talking with people is important for gathering information."

"Right!" Harmon said. "There's a lot of important information that'll come in handy."

"Oh!" Claire said pulling out a notepad she had clipped to the edge of her skirt. "Then I'll be sure to take **notes!"**

"Notes?" Harmon asked.

Claire gave a bright smile, just like the one she gave when they first met. "Yeah! If I'm going to be a good paralegal, I need to take lots of notes! You can check them in the court record at any time if you need an idea about what we should do next."

"Handy." Harmon said. "I'll be sure to check that out." He then turned back to Watkins. "Now back to you Mr. Watkins. Would you mind telling me **why you were arrested?"**

Omar stiffened up. "They say I committed murder."

Figures.

"I see. Who do they think you killed? Loved one? Friend?" Harmon asked putting his hands together on the table before him. He closed his eyes, bracing himself to hear about who this man lost.

"My boss." He said flatly, his lip trembling.

Killing your employer. The thought of that sent a chill down Harmon's spine. "Yeah. Pasco Decane. Owner of Braimen Laboratories. I don't know why anybody would want him dead. He was such a nice guy!"

_'Man, I've heard that before.'_ Harmon repeated to himself. Instead of that, he simply said "I see. Moving on." There was an awkward pause that hung in the air before Harmon continued.

"I want to ask you **more about yourself.**"

Omar looked up and crossed his arms, his hair bouncing a little. "Well there's not much to say." He said. "I work a simple job, have an apartment, and a friend here and there."

"Alright. Well, tell me about your work. Sounds like that will be important to the case." Harmon said.

"Well, I'm an electronics engineer. I mainly draw up schematics though. Sometimes I make simple components. I've only been around for a few months" Omar said, counting off on his fingers.

"Only a few months?" Harmon asked. "And the police suspect you of killing your boss?"

Omar cleared his throat. "Well, it's a small company. I worked under Pasco from day 1. But I don't think that's the only reason the police suspect me."

_'That doesn't sound good.'_ Harmons eyes widened as he dreaded the worst. "All right then. **Why the suspicion?**"

Omar let out a sigh. "Yeah. I think they have some kind of proof. Something about our most recent project."

Harmon tilted his head. "Well, what's this 'new project"

Omar looked up. "It's a new type of sensor. It's supposed to be really precise, and super versatile."

Harmon raised an eyebrow. "And what does that have to do with your case?"

Omar shrugged. "I don't know. I just overheard the police mention the project name and that it'll be important in my trial." The pieces didn't seem to fit just yet. Something was missing.

Harmon was at a loss, although something stuck with him from Omar's last statement. "Speaking of which… when is the trial?"

"Tomorrow." Omar said with a wince.

The hits just kept on coming.

"Just our luck…" Harmon said. "One day doesn't give me much time."

"Well then what do we do Big Guy?" Claire said, with the first look of genuine concern Harmon had seen on her all day.

"We investigate. I've passed Braimen Laboratories a few times before. It's towards the edge of the commercial district." Harmon responded. Omar nodded. "That's the place." He said scribbling down on a piece of paper and sliding it through the hole. "Here. Show this to the officers there. They should let you in." He said.

Harmon nodded. "Thanks. I'll do that!"

_Omar Watkins Note has been added to the Court Record_

With a nod, Harmon looked to Omar. "Mr. Watkins. We'll take your case. Just leave it to us, and we'll do everything we can to get you out."

Omar put on a big smile. "Thanks! My visiting hours are pretty lax. Just pop in any time, and I should be here."

Claire looked to Harmon. "Well, looks like we have a direction! Let's roll with it."

Harmon nodded. "Right. First up, Braimen Laboratories."

**March 19, 10:49 AM**

**Braimen Laboratories**

**Front Lobby**

Claire pulled open the door for Harmon, who walked into the front lobby. The secretary at the front desk was hard at work, taking call after call. They probably all had something to do with the death of the owner. Harmon felt for her. When something like that death of your boss happens, the last thing you want to do is take phone calls about it.

Harmon figured he'd leave her be, and made a beeline for the two officers guarding the only other door in the lobby. The officer held him up for a minute going on about "unauthorized personnel not being allowed into the labs." Harmon quickly flashed his badge and Omars note and the officer's face quickly changed. Claire and Harmon made their way through the doors and found themselves faced with a long hallway.

"Hm. I guess this is how we get to the labs. The crime scene should be in one of them." He said walking over to the wall. There was a map of the 1st floor, with all of the rooms labeled.

_'Hm. This map might come in handy. I should make a note of it.'_

_Braimen Labs Map has been added to the Court Records_

"It's this one!" Claire piped up pointing at one of the rooms on the map. Harmon gave a fairly noticeable double take as she pushed him out of the way.

"W-watch it!" He yelled. "Besides, how do you know that's the crime scene?" He asked.

"Duh… there's a bunch of crime scene tape over that room." She said smarmily pointing towards a room at the end of the hall. True to her word, there was crime scene tape over the door.

"Oh. I see." Harmon said sheepishly. How had he missed that?

Claire bounced a little on the balls of her feet. "Well! Let's go."

Harmon gave a sigh. She was a lively one. At least she wasn't taking shots at him anymore.

**March 19, 10:54 AM**

**Braimen Laboratories**

**Pasco Decane's Office**

As Harmon stepped over the crime scene tape, he began to see a rather orderly office. It had a work bench on the far corner, a coffee table in the middle, and a very, _very, _official looking desk towards the back. One thing struck Harmon as odd going in. There weren't any windows. He figured some big boss would have the best view. Then he remembered the map. This was the biggest office space, sure, but it overlooked a highway. Not exactly a prime view.

Looking around, he wasn't quite sure how this could have been the crime scene, until something caught his eye. A white outline, right next to the desk. It shook him a bit. That was where a man had died. Right there. He would have taken it in after a minute or so if only Clair didn't pop her head in and pull him from his thoughts.

"Wow. Big office. Echo! ECHO ECHOOOOOO-"

"Cut that out!" Harmon snapped.

Claire stepped in. "Aww. You're no fun."

"We're at a crime scene." Harmon shot back

"Fair point." Claire admitted shrugging.

Before Harmon could say another word, he was cut off by a voice that seemed rather unsure and… almost confused.

"H-hey! Who are you?" The voice shot out at him.

Harmon, caught off guard turned around so fast he almost knocked Claire over. There was a thin man in a deep brown trench-coat that went down to a couple inches below the waist. Beneath it, Harmon could faintly make out the white shirt that clashed with his black pants. The gun and badge holster on his belt told Harmon immediately that he was in law enforcement.

As the man tried to climb into the scene over the tape, he came close to stumbling a couple times. "Whoop, wait… hang on." He said before finally standing firmly before them, running a hand through his jet black hair. He had it combed rather… uniquely as far as law enforcement went. It was neck length in the back, and poofed up a little it the front.

"Now answer the question! Who are you? And what are you doing in my crime scene?" The man asked with a clenched fist shaking at them. Harmon blinked a couple of times before realizing the man was talking to him. He then immediately went to his lapel, realized he grabbed the wrong side, and went to the other side.

"Oh! Harmon Grennan! Attorney at Law! I'm going to be Mr. Watkins attorney for tomorrow's trial." He explained. This seemed to ease the first man's concern.

"Ah. I see. I got a call from the detention center telling me you'd be here sometime soon. They did say you'd 'have hair capable of burning down a city block."

Harmon's eye twitched. _'My hair cannot possible look that much like fire…'_

"Anyways, I'm Detective Lester Gates" He said. "I heard this is your first murder case. And, well… to be honest…." He said looking around.

Harmon went on a little mental tirade._ 'Here we go… he's gonna make some snide comment about how new I am and then-' _

"This is actually my first real case." The detective whispered sheepishly.

_'Then it's going to go in a direction I did not at all expect. Huh.'_

"Yeah. I haven't had any jobs in the criminal affairs department until just now. Position above me just opened up last week."

"I see" Harmon said tilting his head.

"Yeah. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm new to investigation or anything…" He said. "I just don't have the fine motor skills for these kinds of cases. I'm kind of clumsy." He said.

"Well. Congratulations on the promotion I guess?" Harmon said slightly confused. _'They really couldn't have found anybody more qualified for this? Oh well. I guess it'll be all that much easier to get info out of him'_

"Anyways." Gates said clearing his throat. "You guys are free to investigate I guess. I'll be keeping a close eye on you though."

"Thanks detective!" Claire said, pouring on the bubbly charm.

"Yeah. We might have a couple questions too." Harmon added.

With that, Gates leaned against one of the walls and Claire turned to Harmon. "Well this is it! My first crime scene! Where do we start?" She said excitedly. Harmon smiled.

"Well first we have to **examine **anything that looks interesting. We also need to look at things from every angle." He said handing Claire a pair of white gloves. "Careful. We don't want to leave any of our own fingerprints here."

Claire simply nodded and took a couple of gloves. Harmon walked over to the body outline. "It looks like whatever killed him didn't leave any kind of blood." Claire looked closely at it. "Yeah. And this carpeting doesn't look like it's easy to clean."

It was at this point that Gates popped up behind them. "Yeah. We even did a luminol test. No blood. Of course, that's not surprising. After all, he was _poisoned_."

Claire let out a light breath. "Poisoned?"

"Yeah. He inhaled a poisonous gas." He said. He immediately noticed the growing concern on the two investigators faces and waved at them dismissively. "Don't worry! We had the hazmat teams come in here and this place has been perfectly clean as of 10 hours ago."

"Well that's good at least." Harmon sighed. "So he inhaled poison gas. What kind?"

"Now that's the interesting thing." Gates said pulling out an envelope. "It's called Decelerin. It's really uncommon. Mainly used for scientific studies. This place uses it all the time though." He explained handing the envelope to Harmon. He skimmed it before looking up.

"Decane's autopsy report?" He said raising his eyebrow.

"Yeah. But there's a little bit of extra information attached about Decelerin. Standard procedure when the cause of death is something uncommon like this."

"I get it." Harmon said. "Well thanks a lot detective!"

_Decane's Autopsy Report has been added to the Court Record_

Claire by this point had worked her way over to the coffee table. She looked under it and immediately perked up.

"Hey Harmon! Check this out." She yelled.

"Mr. Grennan will do just fine Ms. Tessain." He deadpanned, to which she shot back. "Sure thing big guy!"

Harmon kneeled to look under the table and muttered. "Mr. Grenn- you know what? Forget it. Harmon." But as soon as he saw what was under the table, he went wide eyed. There was some kind of machine. It was blue and streamlines, with a few tubes running across it.

"What on earth is this?" He asked. Gates looked down at him. "That's the murder weapon. It's a specialized Decelerin dispenser made here at Braimen Labs. It's a prototype they were planning on installing in one of their sensors."

"Really? This is what did it?" Harmon asked. "How does it work?"

Gates put his hand to his chin. "Well to be honest… I don't really know."

_'Well that's reassuring.' _Harmon noted.

"Some of the lab boys are busy figuring out what makes it tick right now. This is just a model we're using for the investigation and trial." Gates explained.

"So it's not dangerous?" Claire asked. "That's no fun…"

"But it's also procedure." Gates said putting up his pointer finger.

"I guess so…" Claire said rather bummed out. Harmon patted her on the shoulder. "I don't think we need any more danger in this crime scene Claire. Anyways, this is sure to be crucial evidence."

_Decelerin Dispenser has been added to the Court Record_

Harmon then walked back over to Gates. It was time to ask some questions.

"So Detective Gates, would you mind telling me about what my client did that gives such a **cause for suspicion?**"

Gates just laughed. "Sorry. That's something I'm not at liberty to talk about."

"Really? You've been so forthcoming with everything else." Harmon said with a raised eyebrow.

"It's not like I don't want to tell you. But there are a few facts of this case that can only be divulged to you by the prosecutor." Gate explained.

"The prosecutor huh?" Harmon mused.

"Yeah. Don't worry though. He's not such a bad guy. A little eccentric, but not a bad guy. He won't try to actively hide anything from you." Gates said. "That's something we need a lot of if we're going to bring a true end to the dark age of the law."

"Dark age of the law?" Claire asked.

"Yeah." Harmon said. "About 7 years ago, a period in our countries legal system began known as the dark age of the law. Attorney forged evidence, and prosecutors brought up numerous false charges. It was started by two infamous cases. But those cases were just resolved in the past year."

Gates nodded. "Correct. A lot of people want to use those resolved cases as a stepping stone to bringing the dark age of the law to a swift close, and move on towards a brighter future for the legal world."

Claire just cocked an eyebrow. "That's… noble I guess."

"Yeah. And that's just what Prosecutor Tambour stands for." Gates said smiling

_'Well I didn't learn anything about the case itself. But I guess I know the prosecutors name now." _Harmon thought before speaking up again. "By the way. Is there anything else I should know about **Prosecutor Tambour**?"

Gates stroked his chin again. "Well the first word that come to mind when you want to describe that man is 'Punctual.' Like seriously, you do not want to be late with that man. Other than that he's nice enough."

"Well that's a relief." Harmon said.

Gates continued. "Now don't get too comfy. Franklin Tambour won't go easy on you. He hates criminals with a passion. He just doesn't let it show. He's not perfect by any stretch, but he'll definitely give you a run for your money."

_'Well. It could be worse. Not much worse. But it could be worse.'_ Harmon thought. "Well thanks for your time detective."

Harmon started to realize that there wasn't much else to look at. So instinctively, he looked to the only remotely familiar thing in the room. Claire. She was looking over the victim's desk. No picture of family. No computer. Just a couple wrenches, a pad of paper, and an open envelope. She looked down at it all. "Man. He kept a pretty empty office."

Gates called over to her. "Yeah. We didn't find anything of value on or in his desk surprisingly. He would only come in this office towards the end of the day to read mail and write memos. Otherwise he would just work in his lab."

"Huh. I see." Claire said looking closely at it. She waved for Harmon to come over. He looked down at it carefully. Claire turned her head to look at him, and was surprised to see him looking at it pretty intensly.

"Hey, Earth to Grennan!" She said. "Find something?"

Harmon smiled. "I think so. Did your uncle ever tell you about my specialty?" He asked.

"Yeah, vaguely. Some stupid sciency nerd stuff right?" Claire spat.

Harmon took the red rods from his belt and rolled his eyes. "Just watch this…" He said pulling the two apart. The thin red holoscreen appeared between them, with the rotating flame icon.

He thought to himself. _'Time to give these things their first field test. Using these things in a class environment and in court is easy enough, but this is the real deal!' _He thought _'Now let's see. All I have to do is press the little flame icon here to activate the Analysis Rods. Once I do that, I have a couple of pages of Forensic Applications I can choose from. There are two major types. The first is General Analysis. This covers things like Sound Analysis, Blood Spatter Analysis, and Handwriting Analysis, and just require one input for a complete analysis. The other is database analysis. This is stuff like fingerprints, hair, and footprints. This requires at least 2 samples to be compared.' _He practically recited that huge instruction manual to himself. These things took tons of calibration, but the time spent was worth it.

"That's… actually kind of awesome looking. What is it?" Claire asked, transfixed on the screen.

"It's called the Forensic Analysis Assistant. It's a legally licensed forensic analysis device. I can do all kinds of things with it." Harmon explained.

Claire continued this little Q&A "Wow! That's actually kind of awesome. What does that do for us here?"

"Well if we go into an Application, it tells us what kind of evidence we can get from using it on different things. In this case, if we use the handwriting application on a used pad of paper, it can tell what was written on the page above it."

"So you mean like this?" Claire asked holding up the pad.

"Exactly. Let's give it a try." Harmon said peering over the paper. He opened the Forensic Analysis Assistant, and tapped the handwriting analysis button. An overlay of the pad appeared, and little lines and curves worked their way across it, interlacing with numbers. After a few seconds of this, text emerged.

"And some analyses can be stacked." Harmon explained. "So I should always feel free to experiment with the settings. But if I feel like I've made any kind of error, I can just press this reset button here to revert the analysis."

Claire beamed. "That's actually cool. And here I thought you were just some boring old fuddy duddy."

"T-thanks…" Harmon muttered tapping the handwriting analysis button again.

Little lines appeared next to the various letters, and the numbers began to crunch. After a minute, the data returned. A line appeared at the top.

_Left Handed_

Harmon sighed. "Well, we were able to get the text itself at least. But unfortunately it wasn't good enough for the Forensic Analysis Assistant to get anything more than the person's handedness. It looks like that's about as good an analysis of this piece of evidence as we'll get."

**Notepad Analysis Complete**

_Notepad Memo added to the Court Record_

Claire smiled. "Well that's better than nothing. What's the note say?"

Harmon looked over to the detective, and then to Claire. "I have the note saved. Let's go out to the hallway and give it a read there."

**March 19, 11:10 AM**

**Braimen Laboratories**

Front Lobby

Harmon and Claire walked into the front lobby, and in a bout of perfect timing, the secretary was out to lunch. This gave the two of them the perfect opportunity to go to the far side of the room and read the note they found on the victims desk.

"Let's see…" Harmon began reading. It appeared to be some kind of memo.

"Somebody has been sending letters out to private military contractors. We all know what- does and can be used for – purposes. I have made it explicitely clear that Braimen -boratories does not do military contra-. When I find out who- they'll be made-ble for it. I don't care who they are. This is unaccep-"

Harmon went wide eyed. This meant that…

"What's a Private Military Contractor?" Claire asked. Harmon was shell shocked. He took a moment to process the simplest response.

"Well, you could say that labs and scientific companies often make a lot of their money by selling their cutting edge technology to the military. A lot of companies do it, but a lot of them don't. I guess Decane wanted Braimen Labs to be one of those companies who doesn't"

Claire looked down. "Yeah. That sounds like the Mr. Decane that Mr. Watkins describe at the detention center."

Harmon nodded. "Oh! Speaking of which, we need to check in with him one more time before we call our investigation over."

Claire nodded and flipped through her notes. "Good idea. By the way, we should probably ask him about any devices we find around here. He's probably our best bet."

"Right." Harmon said before walking towards the door to the lobby and pushing out to the cool streets outside.

**March 19, 11:45 AM**

**Detention Center**

**Visitors Room**

Mr. Watkins sat there… waiting for them. Harmon had called a few minutes in advance to get Omar brought in so he'd be all ready to go.

"Well Mr. Watkins, we've investigated, and while we don't have all the facts, I think we have enough ammunition to make a decent case tomorrow."

Omar looked shocked. "You've already investigated? You were only a couple of hours!" He said.

Harmon looked down. "Yeah. From what I've gathered, those labs have a lot of special circumstances. I'm going to have to file all kind of paperwork just to get into court."

Claire perked up. "Well I'm your paralegal! Shouldn't I be doing the paperwork, and you can spend more time investigating?" She asked.

Harmon just shook his head. "I'm afraid there's just too much for just you to do it. Besides, I think Detective Gates already got any evidence we haven't already seen, and he probably won't just hand it over."

Omar sighed. "I see. Well anyways… is there anything else you wanted to ask me."

"Actually yes." Harmon said. "Would you mind looking at this?" He asked showing Omar a picture.

"Hey!" He exclaimed. "That's the Decelerin dispenser? Why do you have a picture of it?" He asked… almost irritated.

"Yeah. It was the murder weapon. Mr. Decane died of Decelerin poisoning." Claire said looking at Omar.

"D-Decelerin… oh no…" He said. "This is bad…. If that's the murder weapon… then we're sunk!" Omar said, completely frantic.

"What? Why?" Harmon asked, extremely surprised by this sudden outburst.

"Because I designed the thing for that new sensor I mentioned!" Omar retorted. "Built it with my own hands."

"Oh no." Harmon said shocked. "I'll bet this is the evidence that lead to your arrest."

"Right" Claire said. "You did say that those officers you overheard said something about that sensor system you worked on being important. This must be why!"

_'This is bad… this make Omar look really guilty. But… it's not definitive. I should ask Omar more about it." _Harmon thought before tapping the glass to get Omars attention. "Hey Mr. Watkins. Mind telling me a bit more about **how the dispenser works?"**

Watkins sat up with a jolt. "Sure!" He said. "It's super simple." He said grabbing a piece of paper and writing like mad. After a couple minutes, he slid it back through the hole between the glass before launching into an explanation.

"You see, it's a simple dispenser that releases a predetermined amount of Decelerin out of these tubes here. Now, usually this thing should be hooked up to a machine that prevents the leaking of the fumes, but anybody at Braimen Labs could have disabled the safety. It's rather common in that regard." He said.

"Now it's operated by remote control, but the gas itself makes long range transmitters a little buggy. The device can only pick up short range transmissions from about 100 feet away or less. Any further and the gas causes a distortion and prevents the transmitter from triggering the dispenser. And I guess that's all there is to it." He finished.

Harmon tapped the drawing. "And when the police lab technicians finish their analysis, will it be the same?" Harmon asked.

"Well, everything but the transmission range. That was a recent issue I only just figured out the workaround for." Omar replied.

With a nod, Harmon slipped the document into his jacket. "Thank you very much Mr. Watkins."

_Watkins Dispenser Notes added to the court record_

Mr. Watkins then stood up. "I'm afraid I've used all of my visitor time for the day. I had to take a couple family members while you were out. The rest is up to you Mr. Grennan." He said walking from the Visitors room.

Claire looked to Harmon. "Is that it?"

"I think so. We'll be fighting an uphill battle in court tomorrow, but I'll do my best. Something about this just doesn't sit right though… all this business about a killer device… it feels like a murder built to order."

"Well then we'll just have to dismantle it right big guy?" Claire asked.

"Exactly!" Harmon said with a smile and crossed arms.

**The Experimental Turnabout**

**TO BE CONTINUED.**


	7. The Experimental Turnabout: Trial 1

**March 20, 9:52 AM**

**District Court**

**Defendant Lobby #1**

No pacing for Harmon today. He was slumped on the couch, head resting on his wrist. He had been there for about half an hour by this point, reading the case materials. It had gotten to the point where he had honestly run out of new information to pick out of it. So now he was nodding off. He knew that it wasn't good form, but whatever… not like any body was-

"Harmon! Wake up!"

Watching…

Claire shook Harmon rather vigorously until his head jolted to attention with an unceremonious "Unf-"

"The trial starts in 8 minutes and you're dozing off? What is wrong with you?" Claire said with throwing him an irritated glare. Ouch. She wasn't just staring daggers, she was staring full on scimitars!

"Heh? Oh, sorry Claire. I barely slept at all last night."

"Well my job is to help you with your casework, not wake you up when you doze off!" She said, he glare unwavering.

"Geez! I get it" Harmon said throwing himself up. "Just relax. I should be able to make this trial without too much trouble." He said dismissing her with a flick of her hand. Just as he did so, the door to the lobby opened and Watkins was brought in, accompanied by two men, just like his friend a couple weeks prior.

"Ah! Mr. Grennan! You're here! I was sure you'd abandon me." He said, gliding from utter relief to become a sniffling mess in the arms of the bailiffs. A little bead of sweat formed on Harmon's head. "Uh... don't worry. I wasn't going to abandon you." He said trying to reassure the emotional man before him.

"Th-thanks Mr. Grennan." He squeeked out, before giving a slight cough and looking at him. "Hang on. I think I had something else to say." He said looking down.

"Something about the case?" Claire asked inquisitively, tapping her pen to her pad of paper.

"Sort of. I think it was something about the day of the murder. Like, it wasn't about the murder itself, but something else. I dunno. I can't remember. I'm just so stressed!" He said grabbing at his hair. Harmon clapped him on the shoulder. "Hey hey! Calm down. It's not a problem. Just clear your head, and tell us if you remember."

Omar tilted his head back and thought. "Oh- ok… let's see. There was… wait… no… that's not it…" He said thinking. "Nuts, it's just not coming to me. I'll tell you if I remember." He said.

"That's okay Omar!" Claire said with a smile. "We'll always listen if you have something to tell us."

"Th-thank you!" Omar said letting out another sniffle. "Thank you for everything!" He yelled back as he was lead into the courtroom. Harmon raised an eyebrow once Omar had left. "We haven't even won yet." To which Claire nudged him. "Don't ruin the moment.

"Fine." Harmon sighed.

**March 20, 10:01 AM**

**District Court**

**Courtroom #2**

Claire and Harmon took their place at the bench. While the court venue was different than last time, the feel was the same. It was kind of weird knowing that Mr. Tessain was running a case of his own in a courtroom just like it at the same time. Harmon was so taken in by his own little thought train that the Judges gavel slamming was barely enough to snap him to attention.

"Court is now in session for the trial of Omar Watkins. Are the prosecution and defense prepared?" The judge said, taking care of the formalities.

Harmon snapped to. "The defense is ready your honor." He said before realizing he hadn't even looked at the prosecution. He finally did so, and was rather surprised by the sight.

"The prosecution is on time, and ready to proceed."

Behind the bench was a man wearing a deep olive green suit. Right below the shoulder were two silver bands. He had a thin mustache that ran in straight lines down above his mouth, and his slicked back black hair made him look like something out of a Victorian style magazine. His deep black tie was probably the most straightforward thing about his attire.

"Franklin Tambour I take it?" Harmon asked with a slight tilt of his head to which the slick dress man nodded.

"You are correct. However I do not wish to fritter away our time with meaningless chit chat. He said pulling out a pocket watch. It was gold with a wooden finishing, and looked to be incredibly intricate. The frivolities of prosecutors…

"V-very well then Prosecutor Tambour." The judge said wide eyed before returning to his usual demeanor. "In that case, you may begin your opening when ready."

"Thank you your honor." Tambour responded almost immediately.

_'Here we go. Let's see what kind of case the prosecution has built up for us today.'_

He could barely see it, but Claire was staring intensely across the court. Like something was bothering her. Harmon was about to ask, but then Tambour pulled him away with the opening statement.

"On March 18th, at 8:31 PM, the police department received an emergency call from Braimen Laboratories concerning a poison gas leak. Per protocol, a hazmat team was sent in with the initial police dispatch to access the situation. A poison gas leak was found in the office of the CEO. But they also found the dead body of said executive, a Mr. Pasco Decane."

"Why, death by poison gas… how inhumane." The judge said astonished.

"I agree you honor. This particular gas, Decelerin, causes a rather nasty reaction in the inhalants lungs. More than 30 seconds of exposure will almost always prove fatal in the long run."

Harmon thought for a moment. _'Yeah. I think the Decelerin report detective gates gave me yesterday said something along those lines.'_

"Regardless. The scene was quarantined and eventually cleared. A preliminary investigation brought one Mr. Omar Watkins to the front of our scrutiny, we were able to quickly cement our suspicions. Today, through evidence and testimony, the prosecution will show the guilt of Omar Watkins as the murderer of Pasco Decane."

The judge nodded. "Very good Mr. Tambour. Succinct and to the point."

"Thank you your Honor. I would now like to call my first witness, Detective Lester Gates, to the stand."

"Very well." The judge said stroking his beard. "Does the Defense have any objections?"

Harmon quickly shot back "No your honor."

"Very well, the witness may be admitted." The judge announced as the Bailiffs scrambled to bring the detective to the stand. It took a couple minutes, but eventually the brown coated man made his way to the witness stand that had seen witnesses, liars, murderers, and everything in between.

Claire clapped her hands together. "Hey, it's Detective Gates. This should be a breeze." Harmon could only sigh and reply "Don't count on it. He might be a nice guy and all, but he's still with the prosecution. It's his job to side with them."

Claire slumped. "Oh yeah."

Tambour cleared his throat. "Witness, please state your name and occupation for the court."

"Ah! I'm Lester Gates, and I'm the detective in charge of this case." He said nodding his head.

"Very good detective." Tambour said checking his watch. "Please tell the court what you uncovered during your investigation."

"Yes Prosecutor Tambour!" He said with a quick salute.

_'Wow.'_ Harmon thought. _'Looks like Tambour has Detective gates running like clockwork today.'_

**Witness Testimony: Preliminary Investigation**

**Before we could investigate the scene of the crime, the hazmat crew had to clear the area.**

**Once the place was 'clean' so to speak, we set to work.**

**The victim was dead on the floor of his office.**

**We eventually found the cause of the leak. It was a device under a table in the office.**

**Somebody bolted it to the table, with clear intent to poison whoever was there.**

**We have strong reason to believe that the defendant is the one who did so.**

Harmon gritted his teeth. The trap here was obvious. It was so obvious he was certain even the judge had caught it. But the way it was all worded. It looked like the only way to get any more evidence out of him was to spring this trap.

_'Well. Here goes everything.'_

**Witness Testimony: Preliminary Investigation**

**Before we could investigate the scene of the crime, the hazmat crew had to clear the area.**

**Once the place was 'clean' so to speak, we set to work.**

**The victim was dead on the floor of his office.**

**Hold it!**

"Would you mind telling the court exactly where in the office his body was found?

The detective nodded, taking out a map Harmon hadn't seen before. _'I guess the labs have different maps for the police department.' _Harmon thought putting his hand to his head.

"Look closely at this Map." Detective Gates said. It was a detailed floor plan of the victim's office, with a body outline exactly where the outline had been the previous day. "This outline here is where the body was. He must have died right in front of his desk."

**"Well, does the defense have any objection to this?"** The judge asked.

"No your honor." Harmon said. _'At this point, there's nothing inherently wrong, or necessarily damaging about the victim having died in that spot. I should just let that go.'_

"Very well. This court accepts this new map into evidence." The judge said with a gavel slam.

_Decane's Office Map has been added to the court record._

Prosecutor Tambour nodded. "Since that's out of the way, you may continue with your testimony Detective."

**We eventually found the cause of the leak. It was a device under a table in the office.**

**Somebody bolted it to the table, with clear intent to poison whoever was there.**

**We have strong reason to believe that the defendant is the one who did so.**

**Hold it!**

Harmon gulped. He was about to spring the trap the prosecution had laid before him. Tambour wanted his guilty verdict, and knew such a vague statement as that would warrant some pressing. That's just what he wanted, and there was little Harmon could do about it.

"You have proof that my client installed that device?" Harmon asked, hand to his head.

The detective nodded. "Yeah. When you consider the very nature of the device itself, it's pretty obvious."

_'I knew this was going to come up. I just didn't expect it this soon.'_

"I mean, the defendant did build the thing with his own two hands." The detective said. Well, probably. Any other comments was drowned out by the rabbling court around them.

"Order!" The judged cried out with a rap of his gavel. "The defendant built the device?" The judge asked. Detective gates nodded. "Yeah. We found the sketches for it in the defendant's belongings. They had his signature on the bottom, and he even admitted to building the device himself a couple weeks ago."

Harmon began to sweat. _'Not good. This is what I was afraid of. Because Watkins built that thing, it makes him look guiltier than anyone else right now."_

"Mr. Grennan. This is a rather serious revelation. Do you have any kind of rebuttal?" The judge asked.

**_'Well? Do I have anything to say about this?" _**Harmon thought. He made up his mind. **_"You bet I do!"_** He slammed his desk.

"There's a massive hole in the prosecution assertion!" He yelled. The judge flinched. Even Tambour looked slightly rattled.

"S-sorry." Harmon said sheepishly. "I just kind of realized it. Just because my client admitted to building the device doesn't mean he used it. He actually told me that he built it for a work related project."

The judge tilted his head. "A work project?" His tilt became a turn to Prosecutor Tambour. "Is this true?"

Tambour shrugged. "I do admit, there were multiple records that would indicate that Decelerin dispenser was designed for a use unrelated the victim's death. It would seem Braimen labs was working on some kind of sensing device at the time. They needed a controlled source of Decelerin and so they had Mr. Watkins build a special dispenser."

"You see your honor! The fact my Client built the murder weapon doesn't prove anything conclusive." Harmon said.

"I agree." Tambour conceded. "That fact alone doesn't prove anything." He gave a smile that twisted his clock hand like mustache up into a 'W'

_'Why do I not like where this is going.' _Harmon thought, a bead of sweat rolling down his face.

"But we still have time." The time obsessed prosecutor said pulling out his watch. "And our detective has another testimony that will further prove the defendant's guilt."

"Oh. I see." Harmon said. Of course that detective had another testimony to share. He just hoped that this one wasn't as potentially damaging as the last. But all things considered, that was incredibly unlikely.

Tambour consulted his watch. "Your testimony detective… post haste!"

"Y-yes sir!" He said with a quick salute.

**Witness Testimony: Proof Watkins used the Device**

**In order to use the device, you need a remote.**

**It's a simple pushbutton that activates the dispenser.**

**When searching the defendant's locker, we found one such remote.**

**When we tested it on the empty dispenser, it worked!**

**We determined that this was the only remote designed to work with the dispenser.**

**Since it was in the defendant's locker, it's only reasonable that he used it.**

Harmon began to sweat as the court began to discuss the meaning of this new testimony. The judge was the first to make his voice clearly heard.

"Detective! You mean to say you found the remote in the defendant's locker?" He asked.

"That's right yer honor. These lockers are well, as the name suggests, locked. Each locker's owner is responsible for acquiring their own lock. Mr. Watkins was a simple padlock with a key." He explained. "Inside the defendants locker was _this _remote!" He said pulling out a plastic bag with a small remote in it. It had a little antennae and a big red button that almost screamed "Press this button and end the world."

"And you're sure this little thing activates that horrid death device." The judge said squinting to see it.

"Sure am your honor. The techs over at the department checked this thing every way to Sunday." Gates said with a smile. He seemed fairly certain of himself.

"Very well. The court accepts this remote into evidence." The judge decreed.

_Activation Remote has been added to the Court Record_

"The defense may begin his cross examination." The judge said, which prompted a quick "Yes your honor." from Harmon.

**Witness Testimony: Proof Watkins used the Device**

**In order to use the device, you need a remote.**

**It's a simple pushbutton that activates the dispenser.**

**When searching the defendant's locker, we found one such remote.**

**Hold It!**

Harmon yelled across the courtroom to the detective. "What are the chances that somebody could have planted that switch?" He asked. But it appeared the detective was prepared for that.

"I'd say close to impossible. As I mentioned, Mr. Watkins supplied his own lock, and even admitted to owning the only key. Furthermore, the lock on his locker showed no signs of tampering." He said.

"Alright." Harmon said before thinking. **_'Actually, is there anything else I should ask?'_**

He had one further point to make to the detective. **"So how did you get into the defendant's locker without the key?"**

The detective nodded. "Oh, we simply asked Mr. Watkins for the key. He happily complied."

"Hold it!" Harmon yelled. "But if Mr. Watkins knew that remote was there, giving you the key would be a terrible move." He said, only to be stopped by a strict voice from across the court.

"Objection!" It was Tambour. "However, the opposite is also true. By refusing to allow the police to investigate his locker, he would also appear suspicious would he not?"

Harmon gulped. "I guess that's true." He said. _'Letting the police investigate his locker and hoping the police didn't notice the remote would have been much safer than refusing. The police would have forced their way in and then checked everything in detail. Then the remote would have certainly been found.' _Harmon though before clenching his fists._ 'Stop it Grennan. Don't think like that. Mr. Watkins is innocent! And I'm going to prove it!'_

He sighed. "Well detective, you can continue with your testimony."

"You got it !" Gates said with a mini salute, shorter than the others he had given.

**When we tested it on the empty dispenser, it worked!**

**We determined that this was the only remote designed to work with the dispenser.**

**Objection!**

Harmon put his hand to his head. "Detective gates. Are you sure that was the only remote capable of setting off the dispenser."

Detective gates looked to harmon like Braimen labs had experimented on him and gave him two heads. "Uh. Yeah. That's right. That was the only remote… remotely like it." He said chuckling at his own little joke. Nobody else seemed impressed. Especially not Harmon.

"I'm sorry detective. But that's just not true. I'd like you to take a look at this." He said pulling out a piece of paper. It was the drawing that Omar had given them the day before. "It's a diagram of the device in question."

"Oh? I haven't seen a diagram like that before." The detective said.

"I received it just yesterday, and it contradicts what you just said." Harmon chided. The judge looked at him. "Really Mr. Grennan? This diagram looks fairly complex. Would you mind pointing out the part of this diagram that contradicts the detective's statement?"

Claire turned to Harmon. "C'mon Harmon, this one is easy. Basic court documents 101."

Harmon let out a slight combination of a laugh and a snort. "I don't need a tutorial Claire. This isn't my first case."

"Yeah. It's only your second one." She shot at him. Well, Harmon had to admit she had him there. But she wasn't even lawyer yet! "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." He said before looking down at the diagram.

**_'Now what on this diagram contradicts the number of remotes.' _**He though before he found the right spot and presented it to the court, letting out a triumphant **"Take That!"**

He was pointing at a line of text which the judge read off. "Device can be activated by one of _two _existing remotes." He said. He rolled two and two in his head together until they unceremoniously slammed together to make four. "Ah! But the detective told us that remote was the only one!"

The gallery burst into discussion. Tambour looked slightly flustered. "Mr. Grennan! Where in blazes did you get that diagram?" He asked, sounding livid, but making sure his face didn't show it.

"I got it from the designer of the device himself. Mr. Omar Wat… kins…" He said trailing off. Claire facepalmed. "Oh no…"

Tambour crossed his arms. "I see. So that's how it is. Your honor, this evidence is worthless. Being made by the defendant in this case, it may have created the existence of a second remote to throw off suspicion. We learned about the existence of the single remote from the new head of the company. We have no reason to believe he would lie about the number of remotes. We _do _have reason to believe the defendant might." He said. All anyone could hear was the ticking of his pocket watch.

"Oh. Ohhhhhhhhhh" Harmon recoiling back, his hare flashing back with it in a flash before falling forward to his brow again.

"Hm. I do have to say Mr. Grennan. In light of this sources origin, I have to say I doubt its credibility." The judge said.

"B-but-" Harmon said before cracking in his head. _'It's no use. I can't prove that Mr. Watkins word on the number of remotes can be trusted.'_

"Hey you big doof!" A voice came snapping him out of it. Along with a physical slapping him out of it. Claire.

"OUCH! Claire! What the heck!" Harmon yelled. Claire actually looked mad.

"Don't give up here big guy! I think we can still keep afloat!" She said.

Harmon squinted. "Really? How?"

Claire looked at her pad, flitting through her notes. "Well, let's assume that Omar is telling the truth. That would mean that there's a missing remote. A missing remote means somebody else could have triggered the device and killed Mr. Decane." She said scribbling.

Harmon caught on. "Then there's room for doubt!" He said. "I think I see where this is going!" He whispered before slamming his desk. "Your honor! While I may not have solid proof there's a second remote, the possibility of another remote definitely exists. If my client is telling the truth, it would prove his innocence." Tambour narrowed his eyes, but Harmon ignored it.

"You see, if there is another remote, then somebody must be hiding it. In that case, it would most certainly the true killer of Pasco Decane. While there's no direct proof, the possibility is too strong to ignore!"

Tambour clapped. "I'm impressed. You have managed to create a rather colorful balloon of an explanation. However, I must remind you its substance is nothing but air. Allow me to let some air out of it."

Harmon tried to follow what Tambour was getting to. "Uhm? Could you skip the poetry and make your point?" He said before tacking on mentally. _'For a guy who hates wasting time, he makes a lot of lengthy metaphors…'_

"Very well. You've yet to explain why the new CEO of the company reported only one remote." Tambour said. "What reason would he have to lie?"

"Well that' obvious." Harmon said. "He could easily be the true killer. After all, the fact he's now the CEO meant he had plenty to gain from Decane's death."

"I must apologize Mr. Grennan, but I'm afraid that time is not in your favor today." Tambour said holding up his watch. Neither Harmon nor Claire knew where this was going.

"You see, the current CEO has an alibi. From two hours before the murder, to when the police contacted him, he was busy finalizing a business deal almost an hour away. There are multiple executives who testified to his whereabouts." Tambour explained. "Are you satisfied Mr. Grennan? You're wasting this courts time on unnecessary queries."

Harmon began to sweat profusely. _'An alibi? Oh this isn't good. Maybe the new CEO has nothing to do with Mr. Decane's murder. But then why would he… wait. I've got it.'_ Harmon realized before looking up. "Your honor, I retract my previous accusation towards the current CEO of Braimen Laboratories."

Tambour smiled. "I'm glad to see you're coming around."

"I'm not done." Harmon said. "I no longer suspect him, but I still assert that he is mistaken about the number of remotes."

The judge looked shocked. "Really? How do you explain this mistake?"

**"Well your honor, the CEO was mistaken because…" **He began before looking up with a smile. **"The other remote was made without his knowledge."** He said. Tambour recoiled. He began fiddling with his watch attempting to hide his surprise. "That's ridiculous! He was certain of only one remote."

Harmon pointed over the Tambour. "But it's possible that he was never informed of the other remote."

Tambour shot back. "But there's no proof."

Harmon responded just as quickly. "But the possibility is there!" He began to relax, before turning to the judge. "Your honor. Under this level of uncertainty, there's no way you can declare a verdict." The judge looked up and thought. "Hm. While I must admit the prosecution makes a convincing case, the defense has shown another possibility. While there is no solid proof, this is a trial for a man's life. We must fully explore every possibility." Tambour looked down. Harmon couldn't see his face. "Yes your honor."

At first Harmon thought he looked sad, but then Tambour looked up and showed his trademark grin. The kind that made Harmon go cold. _'Oh no. What does he-'_

"I do have to concede the possibility under these circumstances. However, I have a witness."

Everyone looked dumfounded. "A witness!" The judge yelled as the court descended into curious conversation. "Prosecutor Tambour, why was this witness' testimony not been brought up?"

Tambour gave a downward glance. "At first I believed this trial could end in a timely manner based purely upon this detective's testimony. I regret to say I was wrong." The detective looked devastated. "In light of this possibility, I am prepared to call a witness to solidify the prosecutions proposed sequenc of events."

The nodded. "I see. If the defense has no objection, we will begin making preparations for this new witness."

Harmon scrambled to think. He had no idea who this new witness could be. That secretary? The CEO? Someone else? Without that knowledge, he'd be going in blind. Unfortunately his impulsiveness got the best of him and he let out a "No objections."

He mentally slapped himself for that one.

The judge nodded. "Very well. This court will take a 20 minute recess so the prosecution may prepare to call its witness. We will then see what proof this witness can provide as to the actions of the defendant. Court is dismissed."

The judge dismissed the court with a mighty rap of his gavel that echoed through the courtroom. At least it seemed to echo in Harmons mind. It was blank, and an empty mind tends to echo… right?

He slowly, wordlessly made his way from the court, needing to catch his breath.

**To Be Continued**


	8. The Experimental Turnabout: Trial 2

**March 20, 10:41 AM**

**District Court**

**Defendant Lobby #1**

Claire pushed her way through the doors to the Defendants lobby in a huff. Harmon followed close behind her, in an apparent daze.

"How did I pull that off?" Harmon asked looking straight ahead.

"Not sure big guy. But the main thing is you did." Claire said crumpling onto the couch. Harmon began sifting through the evidence, and spent a good five minutes doing this. Then the doors opened. Harmon was a bit confused, because he knew he had at least another 5 minutes before he had to go back in. But the two bailiffs that entered were leading Watkins to the lobby, his head hung low. The swirl of hair covered his face in its entirety, making Harmon turn and sweat.

"That was…" Omar began, twiddling his thumbs.

Harmon's eyes widened. _'Oh no. He's gonna flip.'_

"Completely Amazing!" He finished, his head shooting straight up. His eyes looked aglow with the softness of the first incandescent lightbulb. "I thought we were sunk five minutes in! But you managed to put that detective on the spot. Great Job Mr. Grennan!" He said.

Claire gave her smirk to Harmon. "See Big Guy! It's not all doom and gloom. Keep going like this, and you'll have Mr. Watkins free in no time."

Harmon sighed. "I guess you're right. But still, I don't know anything about this witness."

"Actually, I might have an idea." Omar said. "Elizabeth Ness."

"Elizabeth Ness?" Claire asked tilting her head.

"Yeah. She's our head of financing. That pocket watch guy said his witness could testify to what I did on the day of Mr. Decane's death." He explained.

"And how would she know that?" Harmon asked.

"Well she saw me." Omar explained scratching behind his head.

Harmon's jaw dropped. "She saw you! What did she see?"

"Oh, it was-" He began before being cut off by another bailiff entering the lobby.

"Mr. Watkins. Please come with me. Court is about to reconvene." He said pulling at the hapless engineer. Omar was too shocked to utter another word. Harmon and Claire were left in silence.

"Dang it." Claire said. "What did that lady see?"

Harmon frowned and furrowed his brow. "I don't know. But I don't think we have to wait long to find out. Looks like the trial's about to start back up. Let's do this." He said stepping through the doors to the court, Claire at his heels.

**March 20, 11:01 AM**

**District Court**

**Courtroom #2**

The court rabbled on as Harmon and Claire took their places again. By the time the gavel slammed down again, Prosecutor Tambour was also in place.

"Court is now back in session for the trial of Omar Watkins." He said, fiddling with his gavel.

"The defense is ready to proceed your honor." Harmon said, trying to breathe calmly.

"The prosecution is ready as well your honor." Tambour said checking his watch.

"Very well." The judge said. "As we have just learned, there is a possibility of the existence of a second remote capable of activating the murder weapon. The prosecution has claimed its next witness will prove the defendants actions that day. In effect, this will render the possible existence of a second remote irrelevant."

Harmon began to sweat. He had to admit that was basically what the prosecutions claim boiled down to.

"Thank you for your brief recap on this trials proceedings your honor." Tambour said. "I am prepared to call my witness in a most timely fashion." He said.

Harmon rolled his eyes. _'The amount of time this guy would save if he just stopped talking about time'_

"At this time, I would like to call Elizabeth Ness to the stand." He said as the bailiffs opened the door to the court.

In walked a woman Harmon hadn't seen yet. She had greying brown hair tied into a bun, and the wrinkles coating her face were poorly covered in makeup. She had a simple black suit jacket, and a briefcase. Actually, she wasn't so much holding it as she was clutching it. The way she was going about it, you'd think it contained nuclear launch codes or something.

"Witness. Please state your name and occupation to the court."

"Elizabeth Ness. But most of my friends just call me Liz." She said. Tambour motioned with his pocket watch as if expecting more. Elizabeth slapped against the side of her head. "Oh! Sorry! I'm the head of finances for Braimen Laboratories." She added.

"Very good." Tambour said clicking his watch closed. "You were present at Braimen Labs on the day of the murder, correct?" He said.

Ness looked rather shocked. "Of course I was. It was a regular work day after all! I always run overtime, so I was there."

"I assume you can prove that." Harmon said with a tilt of his head. Tambour looked at him with a shake of his head.

"You should be aware of this Mr. Grennan. Ms. Ness here is the one who phoned in the gas report. She barely survived the gas attack herself." Tambour said.

"She did?" Harmon asked. "But she's here in court! Shouldn't she still be in the hospital or something?" He asked sweating.

"I was discharged yesterday." Ness responded. "I'm not going let something like poison get me down." She said looking at her manicured nails. "I have books to keep, and days of work are not something I can afford to lose."

Tambour nodded. "Time is money after all. I admire your work ethic."

Harmon facepalmed. _'Can we we please stop talking about time and get back to the case?'_

It almost seemed like Tambour had read his mind. "Anyways. The witness before us was indeed in the hospital until last night." He explained. A bailiff approached prosecutor Tambour, who handed him a file. The Balliff walked over to Harmon and gave him the report. It was in a similar folder to the autopsy, and made him wonder if the police department used one kind of folder for everything.

"I have provided the court with the Witness hospital report." He explained. By this point the judge had looked it over and nodded.

"Yes this does seem to be in order. The court accepts this hospital report into evidence." He said before slapping his gavel to the bench.

_Ness' Hospital Report has been added to the Court Record_

"Now witness. Did you see the defendant do anything out of the ordinary on the day of the murder?" Tambour asked.

"Actually, yes I did." Ness said fiddling with the lock on her briefcase. "I didn't think anything of it at the time. I mean, it wasn't that out of the ordinary at the time. But given everything that's happened, it's really peculiar."

"What is?" Harmon asked. _'Boy this lady sure can beat around the bush.'_

"I saw Mr. Watkin carrying the Decelerin dispenser and a wrench towards Pasco's office about 30 minutes before I discovered the gas attack." She said. The court erupted into chatter. But somehow Harmon made himself heard.

"You did?" He gaped.

"Sure did." Elizibeth said checking her nails again. "And he was holding the dispenser real close to him too."

"Thank you." Tambour said. "I believe this is decisive proof that the defendant brought the dispenser to Mr. Decane's office."

The judge nodded. "I see. This is rather decisive. Although I fail to see why a wrench would be needed."

Tambour shook his head. "Bolts your honor. The device was attached to the bottom of Mr. Decanes desk with bolts. We found that Mr. Watkins tool box, while in immaculate condition, was missing one wrench. The missing wrench was the exact size of the bolts used with the dispenser. This is proof that Watkins took the device with intent to install it in the victim's office."

"I see! That is rather decisive." The judge said surprised. "Well Mr. Grennan. I don't see much of a reason to go forward with a cross examination do you?"

Harmon thought on it for a second. **_'Hm. Is there really no reason to cross examine Ms. Ness?'_**

Then something stood out at him. **"Actually, there is something odd. **This testimony does seem to prove Mr. Watkins carried the device towards the victim's office. This doesn't prove my client actually installed it. I think Ms. Ness here should provide more details of what she saw."

The judge stroked his beard. "Hmm. That is true. I believe that might merit further testimony. Ms. Ness, can you please tell the court in further detail what you saw?"

"Very well." Ness said, clutching her briefcase again.

**Witness Testimony: Omars Actions**

**As I said, it was about 30 minutes before I discovered the attack.**

**My husband was late picking me up, so I was stuck in the lobby.**

**I saw Omar leaving his office. He was carrying a wrench and the Decelerin dispenser.**

**When he got to the end of the hallway, I saw him take a right towards the victim's office.**

**He didn't leave that room until 10 minutes before the gas attack**

**I watched him go back to his office without the dispenser or wrench.**

**I didn't think anything of it at the time, but now it all makes sense now.**

**Omar must have been installing that device to kill Mr. Decane!**

Harmon started to sweat. _'That was a lot of testimony.' _He said straightening out and addressing Ness in a similar manner. "That's a very detailed testimony Ms. Ness." He said. Ness looked… almost offended.

"It's what I do. In my line of work, you can't afford to spare the details." She said holding out her briefcase. "It can make the difference between your business being a smash hit, or a seething failure."

Claire turned to Harmon. "Ever hear of keeping your court and work life separate?"

Harmon let out a light laugh. "I think that's good advice for her. Though I think for Prosecutor Tambour and I, they're basically the same thing. But I wish I knew what to do about this testimony. There's so much."

Claire nodded. "Just take it easy. The solution to this one might be easier than you think."

"Mr. Grennan. When ready, you can begin your cross examination."

**Witness Testimony: Omars Actions**

**As I said, it was about 30 minutes before I discovered the attack.**

**My husband was late picking me up, so I was stuck in the lobby.**

**I saw Omar leaving his office. He was carrying a wrench and the Decelerin dispenser.**

**When he got to the end of the hallway, I saw him take a right towards the victim's office.**

**Objection!**

Harmon pointed over to Ness. "He took a right into the victim's office. You're certain?"

Ness nodded. "I'm sure. Right foot in front of the left. Right into Mr. Decanes office. Right Mr. Grennan?"

"No. Not right." Harmon said pushing forward the map of Braimen Labs he had picked up the day before. "In fact, if my client were going to Mr. Decane's office…" He said pointing to Decane's office.

**"He would have had to go left."**

Ness grabbed her briefcase close again, as if to use it as a shield. "Wait? What?"

Tambour looked rather taken as well. "Mr. Grennan, what on earth are you playing at?"

"I believe that this witness is telling the truth. She has a set path for my client, as you've said." He explained. He threw out his pointer finger again. **"But this path doesn't go anywhere near the victims office."**

Tambour lurched back, dropping the pocketwatch from his hand. He immediately lashed forward and fumbled it for a few seconds before clutching it close to him. "But then-"

"Exactly!" Harmon said. "My client went to the right, and left the device in whatever room that is."

The judge tilted his head. "Well I'm actually curious then." He said. "What kind of room was it? Maybe it was another workshop? Oh! Maybe it could have been a cafeteria!"

_'Across the hall from the CEO's office?' _Harmon squinted. "Uh. Maybe your honor. Let's look at the map." He said pulling it out again. He pointed to the door to the right. "This door leads to a pretty large looking room. It's called the 'Vacuum Room'. Ms. Ness, what is that?"

Ness began fiddling with her case again. "It's a testing chamber. It's where we test the device the Decelerin dispenser is for."

"Really? So it would make sense for my client to have gone in there?" Harmon asked crossing his arms. To his right, Claire gave a slight fist pump.

"Yeah, I guess it woul- wait. No! No it wouldn't!" Ness yelled. Claire's fist pump… deflated.

Harmon gaped. "Wait, What? Why not?"

Ness turned to him. "The Vacuum Room can be emptied. By emptied, I mean no air. When there isn't any air in there, the door to that room is locked down tight."

"So you're trying to suggest…" Harmon said.

"That's right. I can prove that for an hour leading up to the murder, there was no air in the Vacuum Room." She said holding up her briefcase and slamming it on the bench.

Harmon recoiled, his hair going back with him. "No WAYYYYYYY."

"Oh 'yes way' Mr. Greenhead." Ness said. Claire turned to Harmon and smirked. "Burn."

Harmon glared. "Hey, I know I'm new, but cut me some slack."

Ness tilted her head. "Oh? You're new? You could have fooled me." She said. "But I stand by what I said."

Tambour checked his clock. "It appears your time has just about run out Mr. Grenna. A pity. It appears this witness has some key testimony."

"I agree. Ms. Ness, if uh… it won't take too much of your time… can you please testify again?" The judge said, trying to catch up with everyone.

Ness sighed. "I suppose. I must have been mistaken about Omar going right. Just a little slip up that's easily corrected. He couldn't have gone right and the reason's simple."

**Witness Testimony: How I Know the Vacuum Room was Empty**

**It happened when I discovered the gas attack.**

**I had turned my head for a moment, just to see if my Husband had arrived.**

**When I looked back I saw a thick gas carpeting the ground outside Decane's office.**

**It took me a moment, but I ran down the hallway to his office.**

**When I got down there, I noticed the light on the Vacuum Room Door was yellow.**

**A yellow light on the door means the room has been empty at least 2 hours.**

Harmon gulped. "2 hours?"

Ness nodded. "I may not be in touch with the nitty gritty of the scientific world, but I understand enough to know the workings of the Vacuum Room. Tests in that room are run on a scale. Green to Red. Green means the room has been empty for two hours or less. Then the yellow light comes on. After another hour, the light goes to red."

The judge looked up. "Oh hoh! Like a stoplight!" He exclaimed, pleased in his small victory of understanding this high tech room.

"Y-yes. Like a stoplight. Tests normally don't go any longer than 2 hours, so the lights act as a warning system. 3 hours and the vacuum starts to overheat."

Harmon looked to her and asked. "Before we begin, are there any other ways the room would let you know if it were empty or full?"

Ness shook her head. "Nope. It's just the lights."

Harmon rubbed his chin. _"That doesn't sound like a very foolproof alarm.'_

"Very informative Ms. Ness." Tambour said. "Let's hope that Mr. Grennan here can turn your testimony into something just as informative."

Harmon raised his eyebrow. _'Was that a compliment?' _

"She's wrong." A voice said, hitting his right ear. It was Claire again.

"What do you mean? Did you notice something?" Harmon asked.

"Well, no." She said sheepishly before clenching a fist and holding it to her. "But there has to be something here to pick at or we're toast!"

"You're telling me." Harmon said. It was at this point that Tambour interrupted him. "If you could please disperse the chatter. I believe you have a cross examination to perform."

"Uh- yes of course" Harmon gulped as a bead of sweat formed. _'Can I please just get a break today? Just one. That's all I ask.'_

**Witness Testimony: How I Know the Vacuum Room was Empty**

**It happened when I discovered the gas attack.**

**I had turned my head for a moment, just to see if my Husband had arrived.**

**When I looked back I saw a thick gas carpeting the ground outside Decane's office.**

**Hold It!**

Harmon looked over to her. "So did anything stand out to you about the gas?"

Ness tilted her head. "Well, it leaking through the crack beneath the door in this crazy blue haze. When I went to check, I accidentally took a breath in. I began coughing like crazy and could barely breathe! I saw the light for brief moment then. I quickly ran back to the lobby and placed an emergency call from the receptionist's desk. I must have taken in a good bit of the gas because I apparently passed out!"

"And that's why you had to go to the hospital, correct?" Harmon asked picking up the hospital report.

"Right. They said I was lucky I got out when I did." Ness said clicking the lock on her briefcase again. Harmon had to wonder what in gods name she had in there.

"Well, that was very descriptive indeed!" The judge said. "But is any of that relevant."

Harmon looked to him. "Of course it is your honor!" He said matter of factly. **"But most interesting of all would have to be…" **He stopped and paused to think before smiling. **"The description of the gas."**

"Well, if the prosecution has no immediate objections…" He began. After receiving an approving nod from tambour he concluded "I would like the witness to add her description of the gas to her testimony."

"Of course your Honor." Ness said.

**It was coming from under his door in a thick blue haze!**

**Objection!**

Harmon yelled across the courtroom. He didn't know what it meant, but it was a very clear contradiction. "Ms. Ness. A blue haze, is that correct?" He asked. Claire was ruffling through the papers, and she soon came upon exactly what Harmon had.

"That's right. It was a deep blue, like the ocean. You know, we used to have an oceanic exploration department, but then budgeting got to be too much for it."

"Such a shame." The judge said. "The ocean is a mystical place full of wonderful creatures like whales!" The judge exclaimed, appearing to be recalling a recent memory.

Harmon sighed. "Y-yes your honor. The ocean is beautiful. But that's not what's important here. What's important is that our witness here said that the gas was an ocean blue."

The judge raised his eyebrows. "Oh! Right! And… uh… what's the problem with that?"

Harmon picked up the report he had been given by detective gate the previous day. "I would like to present to the court the autopsy report, which has a section detailing the properties of Decelerin Gas."

"Ah yes. I remember spending a good 15 minutes reviewing that section in detail." Tambour said. "But what does that- Wait. You aren't implying…" He gasped out, clutching his pocket watch again.

"I am. If you read the report, it says that Decelerin is odorless and colorless for approximately 2 minutes after it comes in contact with air. By this time, a person will have been rendered unconscious by the fumes."

"A poison gas without odor? Isn't that a safety violation?" The judge said with wide eyes.

"Not if it's handled correctly." A voice came from near the witness stand. It was Omar.

"Omar!" Claire said excitedly.

Omar began a short explanation "Decelerin is very finicky in the test we're trying to perform. We can't add any artificial odors or it throws off our results. We found it much easier to learn the necessary precautions needed to handle odorless Decelerin and obtain a permit."

"Mr. Watkins is telling the truth about this matter." Tambour said consulting a piece of paper. "Braimen Labs does have the necessary certification to handle odorless Decelerin."

"I see. Most fascinating. But what does this have to do with the witness statement?"

"Everything your honor." Harmon said. "After two minutes, Decelerin does gain a color, and becomes visible." He explains. **"However, the gas turns a bright yellow!" **He explained pointing out his finger at the witness. The court began to lightly murmur as their collective brains turned together like cogs.

"Yellow you say? Why that goes against the witness statement!" The judge exclaimed. Ness turned absolutely pallid, he hand shaking lightly. If one were able to hear over the spectators, they could hear the lock of her case jiggling a little

"Exactly your honor." Harmon said. "We know for a fact she was in fact a victim of a light case of Decelerin poisoning. However, Ms. Ness here claims the gas she saw was blue and not yellow? Now why is that?" He asked.

"Don't ask me!" The judge said, appearing to be almost offended. "I'm not good with this science and chemical whatnot!"

"D-don't worry your honor." He assured the bearded man. "I think I have an idea what's going on here." Tambour opened his watch.

"Hm. I must say. I'm fascinated. We may be going over schedule." He stated. "But this once I shall allow it. Mr. Grennan, your explanation if you would."

"Thank you Prosecutor Tambour." He said. **"I will explain the contradiction between the gas colors…" **He said before putting his arm to his hip **"by presenting evidence."**

"Really now? What evidence might this be?" The judge asked.

_'It's just a hunch, and there's no hard proof at the moment. But I'll bet that if I can prove the possibility, the proof will fall in with it.' _Harmon thought.

**"My evidence that explains the witness' reason for mistaking the gas color is this!" **He yelled grabbing another envelope off the table and thrusting it forward. **"Take that!"**

"Hold on…" Tambour said. "Is that the witness hospital report?"

Harmon nodded and opened it. "Yes. However I want you to look at the witness blood report. She's been taking a prescription medication called **'Elieghterol' **on a daily basis." He said.

"S-So?" Ness stuttered, obviously rattled by where Harmon was going. "I take medication? What does that prove?" she spat.

"It doesn't immediately prove anything, but the next page of this report opens a possibility that explains the color problem." He said. "Prosecutor Tambour, could you please read to the court the section explaining **Elieghterol's Side-Effects?"**

Tambour looked shocked for a moment and then scooped up the paper, and mechanically began flipping the pages. "Let's see. Side-effects of Elighterol can include drowsiness, nausea, loss of appetite, short periods of color blindess, headaches and-" He said before stopping, His eyes shot back to another section. "Wait… Color Blindess…" He said. He blinked a couple of times until the gears ground together in his head. He immediately recoiled. "Oh for the love of-" He yelled.

"Exactly." Harmon said slamming his hands on the bench. **"On the day of the crime, Ms. Ness mistook the color of the gas because her medication had caused temporary color blindness!"**

Ness flailed back, dropping her case to the ground. She immediately shot forward and picked it back up again, holding it close. "Color blind! That's absurd."

"Really? I don't think so." Harmon said. "You said something earlier that confused me. But now it makes sense."

He recounted to the court a brief exchange they had earlier.

**"Oh 'yes way' Mr. Greenhead**

**"Burn."**

** "Hey, I know I'm new, but cut me some slack."**

** "Oh? You're new? You could have fooled me."**

"Ms. Ness called me Greenhead. While I admit I am new to the profession, she then claimed she didn't know that. That can lead me to one conclusion. She thought my hair was actually green!"

"A green haired attorney? That's absurd!" Tambour said.

The judge shook his head. "I must disagree Prosecutor Tambour. While I've never met a green haired attorney, given my experience…" He said. "Such a thing isn't out of the question."

"You're on the record Ms. Ness. I'll have you know my hair is nice and red. So if you made a mistake about the color because of color blindness, it would be best to let us know right now."

**"Objection!" **Tambour cried. "Your honor! Mr. Grennan is badgering the witness. I refuse to allow him to waste this courts time!"

The judge looked to Harmon and nodded to him. "I apologize prosecutor tambour, but the ability for your witness to see properly is a crucial fact. She will answer the defenses question."

"I-uh…" Ness stuttered, her eyes darted from side to side, but always took a moment in between to shoot to her briefcase.

"Well Ms. Ness, how about it? **Are you actually colorblind?"**

Ness' eyes kept darting around. "I-I-I- SOORRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY" She yelled. She flipped up her briefcase to protect her again. This time, the case flew up and slammed into her face. With a click, the case cracked open, papers falling to the floor. "MY FILES!" She said throwing her briefcase into the air and shooting to the ground to collect her papers. Harmon could only watch as the briefcase fell and hit the out of sight witness. "OW!"

It took a minute, but Liz Ness finally collected herself.

"I- I'm sorry you had to see that." She said trying to fix her hair, her case on the stand in front of her.

"So you admit it?" Claire yelled over the bench.

"Easy there Claire. Just ask calmly." Harmon said clearing his throat. In the heat of the moment, he himself yelled. "So do you admit it?"

"Hypocrite." Claire mumbled.

"Y-yeah. I'm colorblind. I get my yellows and blues mixed up. Same with my red oranges and greens. You and Mr. Prosecutor there are probably wearing the opposite colors than what I see. But it's only when I'm on my medication. It causes me a lot of trouble and I don't like to talk about it."

"Thank you for your honesty." Harmon said. "And I apologize for dragging that from you." He said.

"Hm. Well it appears this witness was visually impaired the day of the crime. I suppose she can't still function as a witness can she?" The judge stated. Tambour nodded. "Yes. I apologize. I brought this witness in and she has wasted a great deal of our time."

"B-but…" Ness stuttered. This whole thing had broken her down hard. Nothing like that surefire businesswoman who had stepped to the stand earlier.

"No 'But's' Ms. Ness. You are dismissed." Tambour said closing his eyes. This witness had failed to prove his case, and was useless now. Ness slowly turned around and walked toward the bailiff who would lead her from the court.

…

…

**"Objection!"**

Harmon stood steadfast at the stand, arm outstretched. "Not so fast Prosecutor Tambour! I believe this witness testimony is still useful!" He said.

**"Objection!" **

Tambour yelled back. His mustache was bent into a hellish frown that reminded Harmon of that one painting with the melty clocks. "What are you talking about? She's visually impaired. Now and when the crime occurred!"

"Just as far as color goes. She can still see just as well as she could without the color blindness, we just have to reinterpret the colors she saw." Harmon retorted.

"The colors? Would you care to elaborate?" The judge said curiously.

"We know the colors she got wrong that day. She mistook the yellow gas for blue gas." Harmon repeated. "So that also means that anything yellow she saw was really blue."

"Yes, I suppose that's true." Tambour conceded. "But so what if she saw yellow when she should have seen- AGH!" He yelled, clutching his pocket watch. It looked ready to pop a sprocket.

"I see you recall the whole reason for her previous testimony. It was to explain the existence of the yellow warning light. This would prove that Omar couldn't have entered the Vacuum Room 30 minutes before the crime. But now we know that the light couldn't have been yellow." Harmon elaborated. With one fluid motion, he pointed back out. **"Instead, the light must have been blue!"**

"Blue!" Tambour yelled. It appeared the court was anything but blue. They were going wild. The witness original testimony had been blown out of the water.

The judge slammed his gavel. "Order! I will have order! Witness, could there have been a blue light on?"

Ness looked up. "Uhhh, yeah. There's a blue light warning. But there's only a 20 minute interval where the light could be blue, and that's while the room is being emptied."

Harmon tilted his head. "Being emptied? So you mean that the room wasn't completely empty, and had only begun to empty within 20 minutes of you discovering the gas attack?"

"I guess that's what it would mean. But somebody would have had to start the room emptying." Ness said. She was still looking rather shaken.

"Your honor! I think I know who began the room emptying." Harmon exclaimed.

"You do?" The judge asked. "Well then, don't keep us waiting! **Who emptied the vacuum room before the murder."**

Harmon looked to him and flashed a picture. **"Take that!" **It was a picture of Omar when he was arrested. **"The room was emptied by my client, Omar Watkins!" **

The court began talking again. Claire turned to Harmon. "What are you doing Big Guy? You're making Omar look bad!"

"No I'm not." Harmon said. "I'm only saying he emptied the room. In fact, it helps our case." He turned back to the judge. "As the witness originally stated, my client took the Decelerin device to the vacuum room. At some point the device managed to get to the victims office. About 10 minutes before the gas attack, Omar began to empty the room. He then went back to his office where he stayed at least until the gas attack itself. **He never entered the victims office!"**

Tambour looked astonished. "This is crazy! I- I request a time out!" He said trying to grasp for a way to get the case back to his side.

"I agree Prosecutor Tambour." Harmon said with crossed arms. "We're missing a large part of the puzzle. What happened to the Decelerin device after it was brought into the Vacuum Room? Without knowing this, there's no way we can have a fair verdict."

The judge pondered this. "I must agree with the defense. There is a clear lack of knowledge about the Vacuum Room. It appears it will be more important to this case than we the initial investigation revealed. I believe that both sides should investigate further. We shall continue with the trial tomorrow. This court is dismissed!"

With a slam of the gavel, the court burst into conversation. Amidst it all was the ticking of Tambours pocket watch, and the clicking of Harmons shoes as he left the courtroom.

**March 20, 11:46 AM**

**District Court**

**Defendant Lobby #1**

Shuffling into the lobby was a swaggering Harmon. Omar followed soon after. "That was amazing Mr. Grennan!" Omar yelled.

Harmon scratched behind his head. "Yeah, well we're still not in the clear. We still have a lot of investigating to do, and only one day to do it."

"Yeah, but we'll totally kick it!" Claire responded bursting through the lobby doors. It was evident she had only heard the last sentence.

"Yeah, but first we should stop by your un- I mean The boss' office and let him know how the trial went. I'll bet he'll have some good advice!" Harmon posed.

"Oh, by the way." Omar interrupted. "Spot on about the vacuum room. I had to go in there to do some work."

"What kind of work?" Claire asked, flipping open her notebook.

"Oh, well it was for-" He began before being cut off by the bailiffs tugging him away. "Oh come on!" he yelled as he was dragged through the door. Harmon and Claire could barely make out the muffled. "This way Mr. Watkins. Prosecutor Tambour has a lot of questions for you."

Harmon's eye began to twitch. "Every time."

"Well let's not dawdle around here big guy! We have to investigate!" Claire yelled, full of energy.

"Yeah." Harmon sighed, all of his energy having apparently been sucked into Claire during the trial.

_'There are so many unanswered questions. What was Omar doing in that room? What happened to the device? And there's one other thing… what is with that note Decane wrote? Until we answer those questions, we'll never win this case'_

**To be Continued**


End file.
